Properties of hemoglobin M. Unequivalent nature of the alpha and beta subunits in the hemoglobin molecule

Hemoglobin M: effect of the proximal or distal histidine replacement on circular dichroism in the visible region

To examine the effects of a replacement of the proximal or the distal histidine on the structure of hemoglobin (Hb), absorption and circular dichroic (CD) spectra of five species of Hbs M in the visible region were measured. Four Hbs M had a characteristic but a similar absorption spectrum upon amino acid substitution, however, the proximal histidine replaced Hbs M (Hb M Iwate and Hb M Hyde Park) showed considerably different CD spectra from those of the distal histidine replaced ones (Hb M Boston and Hb M Saskatoon). The former exhibited large positive CD but the latter gave a complex CD spectrum with positive and negative extrema. On the other hand, absorption and CD spectra of Hb M Milwaukee did not changed very much from those of Hb A.

Involvement of superoxide anion in the reaction mechanism of haemoglobin oxidation by nitrite

The sigmoidal time course of haemoglobin oxidation by nitrite, involving an initial slow reaction accompanied by a subsequent rapid reaction, was extensively explored. The initial slow reaction was much prolonged by the addition of superoxide dismutase to the reaction mixture. On the other hand, in the presence of superoxide anion generated by xanthine oxidase systems, the slow phase disappeared and the reaction changed to first-order kinetics. The oxidation of intermediate haemoglobins [defined as haemoglobin tetramer in which different chains (alpha- or beta-) are in the ferric state and in the ferrous state] such as (alpha 2+ beta 3+)2 and (alpha 3+ beta 2+)2 also proceeded in a sigmoidal manner. Similar effects of superoxide anion on these reactions were observed. Since the intermediate haemoglobins such as (alpha 2+ beta 3+)2 and (alpha 3+ beta 2+)2 were found to be produced by the oxidation of haemoglobin by nitrite, the changes in oxyhaemoglobin, intermediate haemoglobins and methaemoglobin during the reaction were followed by isoelectric-focusing electrophoresis. The amounts of (alpha 2+ beta 3+)2 were larger than those of (alpha 3+ beta 2+)2 at the initial stages of the reaction, suggesting that there is a functional difference between alpha- and beta-chains in the oxyhaemoglobin tetramer. On the basis of these results, a reaction model of the haemoglobin oxidation by nitrite was tentatively proposed. The changes in oxyhaemoglobin, intermediate haemoglobins and methaemoglobin were well fitted to the simulation curves generated from the reaction model. Details of the derivation of the equations used for kinetic analysis have been deposited as Supplement SUP 50112 (5 pages) with the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K. from whom copies may be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1978) 169, 5.

Nuclear magnetic resonance study of heme-heme interaction in hemoglobin M Milwaukee: implications concerning the mechanism of cooperative ligand binding in normal hemoglobin

Hemoglobin M Milwaukee (beta 67E11 val leads to Glu) is a naturally occurring valency hybrid containing two permanently oxidized hemes in the beta-chains. In this mutant, the two abnormal beta-chains cannot combine with oxygen, whereas the two alpha-chains are normal and can combine with oxygen cooperatively with a Hill coefficient of approximately 1.3. High-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 250 MHz has been used to investigate the hyperfine shifted resonances of the abnormal ferric beta-chains of Hb M Milwaukee over the spectral region from -30 to -60 parts per million from water at pD 7 and 30 degrees.

Structure of hemoglobin M Boston, a variant with a five-coordinated ferric heme

X-ray analysis of the natural valency hybrid alpha(2) (+M Boston)beta(2) (deoxy) shows that the ferric iron atoms in the abnormal alpha subunits are bonded to the phenolate side chains of the tyrosines that have replaced the distal histidines; the iron atoms are displaced to the distal side of the porphyrin ring and are not bonded to the proximal histidines. The resulting changes in tertiary structure of the alpha subunits stabilize the hemoglobin tetramer in the quaternary deoxy structure, which lowers the oxygen affinity of the normal beta subunits and causes cyanosis. The strength of the bond from the ferric iron to the phenolate oxygen appears to be the main factor responsible for the many abnormal properties of hemoglobin M Boston.