Heme Synthesis

Heme Synthesis Pathway Poster for instructors and students

Important Points About Heme Synthesis:

Why is heme synthesis important? Heme is necessary to make hemoglobin. Any defect in the process is going to negatively impact the ability of blood to carry oxygen and CO2 through the blood so it's important our bodies get this process right.

Heme Synthesis defects and disorders: If you're in medical school or a clinical science program, know how heme synthesis impacts the following disorders and issues:

Acute Intermittent porphyria
Congenital erythropoietic porphyria
Porphyria cutanea tarda
Coproporphyrin
Variegate porphyria
Protoporphyria
Lead Poisoning
Sideroblastic Anemia

Mnemonics:

Intermediate Mnemonic

Get some additional points for having understood the correct pathway process for heme. (credit: Dirty Medicine)

Get - Glycine

Some - Succinyl CoA

Additional - Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)

Points (for) - Porphobilinogen (PBG)

Having - Hydroxymethylbilane (AKA Linear tetrapyrrole)

Understood (the) - Uroporphyrinogen III

Correct - Coproporphyrinogen III

Pathway - Protoporphyrinogen-IX

Process (for) - Protoporphyrin

Heme - Heme

Review Videos:

Heme Synthesis Pathway (and Associated Diseases) - This Dirty Medicine covers the pathway, associated diseases and memory tools.
Heme Synthesis - This lecture by MadMedicine is a good review if you can't get through the matching game above.

Other Resources:

An Overview of Heme Biosynthesis - Simple overview to read with images and a short video.
Regulation of Heme Synthesis- Article in Frontiers including many diagrams. This goes into more depth if you're in a biochem class that expects you to really understand the process.