Heme oxygenase cleaves the heme ring at the alpha methene bridge to form biliverdin. Biliverdin is subsequently converted to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. Under physiological conditions, the activity of heme oxygenase is highest in the spleen, where senescent erythrocytes are sequestrated and destroyed. Heme oxygenase 2 could be implicated in the production of carbon monoxide in brain where it could act as a neurotransmitter.
We show by Northern blot analysis that human HO-2 is encoded by two transcripts (1.3 and 1.7 kb) and is a single-copy gene as judged by Southern blot analysis. We further provide evidence based on Northern blot and sequence analysis of a cDNA representing the larger transcript that the transcripts differ in the 3' untranslated region. A 274-base-pair DNA fragment from the rat heme oxygenase-2 gene (I. Cruse and M.D. Maines, 1988, J. Biol. Chem. 263, 3348-3353) was used to isolate a human HO-2 cDNA from a fetal kidney library in lambda gt11. The clone, designated hK-1, was sequenced and the cDNA insert was determined to be 1625 base pairs in length, encoding a protein of 313 amino acids. Two consensus polyadenylation signals separated by 440 nucleotides were identified in the 3' untranslated region. The size of the cDNA insert closely approximated the larger of two mRNAs. The nucleotide sequence was 88% identical to the rat HO-2 gene within the predicted coding region and the putative translation product was also estimated to be 88% identical to the rat gene product (M. O. Rotenberg and D. Maines, 1990, J. Biol. Chem. 265, 7501). The predicted size, 36 kDa, corresponded well with HO-2 detected in human testis microsomes by Western blot analysis. Further, the fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli displayed significant heme oxygenase activity, which was inhibited by Zn- and Sn-protoporphyrins, known inhibitors of eukaryotic heme oxygenase, but not by sulfhydryl reagents.
Interacting selectively and non-covalently with any protein or protein complex (a complex of two or more proteins that may include other nonprotein molecules).
Evidence
1:
Inferred from Physical InteractionUniProtKB
Modulation of calcium-sensitive potassium (BK) channels by oxygen is important in several mammalian tissues, and in the carotid body it is crucial to respiratory control. However, the identity of the oxygen sensor remains unknown. We demonstrate that hemoxygenase-2 (HO-2) is part of the BK channel complex and enhances channel activity in normoxia. Knockdown of HO-2 expression reduced channel activity, and carbon monoxide, a product of HO-2 activity, rescued this loss of function. Inhibition of BK channels by hypoxia was dependent on HO-2 expression and was augmented by HO-2 stimulation. Furthermore, carotid body cells demonstrated HO-2-dependent hypoxic BK channel inhibition, which indicates that HO-2 is an oxygen sensor that controls channel activity during oxygen deprivation.
Any process that results in a change in state or activity of a cell or an organism (in terms of movement, secretion, enzyme production, gene expression, etc.) as a result of a stimulus indicating lowered oxygen tension. Hypoxia, defined as a decline in O2 levels below normoxic levels of 20.8 - 20.95%, results in metabolic adaptation at both the cellular and organismal level.
Modulation of calcium-sensitive potassium (BK) channels by oxygen is important in several mammalian tissues, and in the carotid body it is crucial to respiratory control. However, the identity of the oxygen sensor remains unknown. We demonstrate that hemoxygenase-2 (HO-2) is part of the BK channel complex and enhances channel activity in normoxia. Knockdown of HO-2 expression reduced channel activity, and carbon monoxide, a product of HO-2 activity, rescued this loss of function. Inhibition of BK channels by hypoxia was dependent on HO-2 expression and was augmented by HO-2 stimulation. Furthermore, carotid body cells demonstrated HO-2-dependent hypoxic BK channel inhibition, which indicates that HO-2 is an oxygen sensor that controls channel activity during oxygen deprivation.
Any process that results in a change in state or activity of a cell or an organism (in terms of movement, secretion, enzyme production, gene expression, etc.) as a result of oxidative stress, a state often resulting from exposure to high levels of reactive oxygen species, e.g. superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radicals.
IEAOrtholog Compara
Enzymatic activity
This protein acts as an enzyme. It is known to catalyze the following reaction
A reference proteome is a set of protein sequences derived from a complete proteome which constitutes a defined standard for a particular user community. Reference proteomes are manually defined according to a number of criteria. They cover the proteomes of well- studied model organisms and other proteomes of interest for biomedical and biotechnological research. Reference proteomes have been selected to provide broad coverage of the tree of life, and constitute a representative cross-section of the taxonomic diversity to be found within UniProtKB.
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