Kinetic properties of intermediates in hemoglobin from trout Salmoirideus

Isolation and stability of partially oxidized intermediates of carp hemoglobin: kinetics of CO binding to the mono- and triferric species

The monoliganded and triliganded forms of the asymmetric valency hybrids of carp hemoglobin were isolated using high-performance liquid chromatography. These partially oxidized hybrids were shown to be sufficiently stable to permit the measurement of the kinetics of CO binding. The effects of protons and inositol hexaphosphate on the rates of these reactions were examined. The kinetics of CO recombination with these partially oxidized derivatives were compared to the kinetics of CO binding to the fully ferrous molecule. To a first approximation, the kinetic behavior of the monoferric derivative was consistent with a small shift in the T<==>R equilibrium in favor of the R state. The presence of three ferric ligands resulted in a still greater shift in the conformational equilibrium in favor of the R state. The kinetic behavior of the triferric molecule was similar, but not identical, to that of a fully ferrous molecule which is triliganded with CO. The properties of both asymmetric valency hybrids were responsive to the nature of the ligand; i.e., the rate of CO binding was increased more by the presence of cyanide on the ferric hemes than by water. Not all of the data could be accommodated within the two-state model. For example, there was evidence of an altered T state in the case of the tricyanomet derivative at low pH in the presence of inositol hexaphosphate.

Allosteric transition in triply met-haemoglobin

Methaemoglobin undergoes a transition to a T-like form at acid pH in the presence of strong effectors such as inositol hexakisphosphate (IHP), as evidenced by spectroscopic and oxidation potential measurements. Since oxygen and CO do not bind to the ferric haems, it is difficult to compare the properties of the R-met and T-met forms with those of ferrous haemoglobin. We have therefore prepared 90% oxidized samples, where the dominant signal for ligand (oxygen or CO) binding is due to tetramers with three met haems. Measurements were made of the oxygen equilibrium curves and CO rebinding kinetics after photodissociation. Without effectors, the partially oxidized samples show mainly R-state properties. Addition of IHP at acid pH induces an increase in T-state behaviour, as indicated by a lower oxygen affinity and a higher fraction of the slow bimolecular component for CO rebinding.

Functional properties of partially oxidized trout hemoglobins

This paper reports on a study of the effect of partial oxidation on oxygen and carbon monoxide binding by components I and IV of trout hemoglobin. The O2 binding equilibria of the various oxidation mixtures show a decrease in the heme-heme interactions as the number of oxidized sites is increased. However, the large Bohr effect, characteristic of Hb Trout IV, is maintained unchanged. Similarly the time course of CO combination changes on increasing the fractional oxidation, and the autocatalytic character of the CO binding kinetics is lost; however the pH dependence of the apparent "on" constant in the oxidation mixtures is similar to that characteristic of the native molecule. The results of the O2 equilibria and of CO binding kinetics may be interpreted in accordance with the two state concerted model suggesting that in the oxidation intermediates there is an increase in the fraction of the high affinity (R) conformation. Additional experiments on the effect of azide, and fluoride, ferric ligands which produce a change of spin state of the heme iron, suggest that additional second order conformational changes may also come into play.