Multiple enzymatic defects in mitochondria in hematological cells of patients with primary sideroblastic anemia

Activities of mitochondrial enzymes in blood cells from 69 patients with primary sideroblastic anemia were determined to elucidate the pathogenesis of the disease. In erythroblasts of patients with primary acquired type the activities of both delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase and mitochondrial serine protease were inevitably decreased. The susceptibility to the protease of apo-delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase prepared from erythroblasts of patients with this type was within the normal range, in contrast to that of pyridoxine-responsive anemia. The activities of mitochondrial enzymes such as cytochrome oxidase, serine protease, and oligomycin-sensitive ATPase, except citrate synthetase, were usually decreased in mature granulocytes of the patients. Patients with hereditary sideroblastic anemia also had decreased delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase activity in erythroblasts, and decreased serine protease activity in both erythroblasts and mature granulocytes. Mature granulocytes obtained from patients with pyridoxine-responsive anemia before therapy had decreased cytochrome oxidase activity, however, the activity increased to a normal level when the patients were in remission. The activities of other mitochondrial enzymes in mature granulocytes were within normal range in these patients before pyridoxine therapy. The activities of these mitochondrial enzymes in lymphocytes were within normal range in all groups of patients with primary sideroblastic anemia. We suggest that patients with primary acquired, and possibly also those with hereditary sideroblastic anemia have impaired mitochondrial function in both erythroblasts and granulocytes. That only anemia is observed in these patients is because a functional abnormality of mitochondria in erythroblasts is most important because of the role of mitochondria in the formation of heme in erythrocyte development. In contrast to these two types of sideroblastic anemia, only delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase in both erythroblasts and granulocytes seems to be impaired in patients with pyridoxine-responsive anemia.