Gallium

Gallium is a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis and the heme pathway enzyme aminolevulinic acid dehydratase [7].

Studies have shown that gallium causes several alterations in gene expression in renal proximal tubule cells in vitro. This include the induction of heme oxygenase, which is the 32-kDa stress protein [7].

Gallium appear to be capable of producing alterations in both the heme biosynthetic pathway and the cellular gene expression, which are linked in at least one place by the induction of heme oxygenase [7].