Evidence that Ferrihemoglobin May Function as an Intracellular Heme Carrier in Reticulocytes

Abstract

Ferrihemoglobin can (1) stimulate globin synthesis in rabbit reticulocytes and in a reticulocyte cell-free protein synthesizing system, and (2) cause newly synthesized αβ-globin dimers to form tetramers which are indistinguishable from hemoglobin in the ultracentrifuge.These observations are consistent with the idea that a small pool of ferrihemoglobin may act as an intracellular heme carrier in reticulocytes.