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Neurite outgrowth in NGF-induced, heme-deficient PC12 cells supplemented with exogenous heme. PC12 cells were treated with the potent inhibitor of heme synthesis, succinyl acetone, to inhibit intracellular heme synthesis. Under such heme-deficient conditions, NGF-induced neurite outgrowth was greatly abrogated. Addition of exogenous heme to PC12 cells reversed the negative effect of heme deficiency on neurite outgrowth, For details, see the article by Y. Zhu et al. in this issue.