The equilibrium and kinetics of ethyl isocyanide binding to ferroperoxidase were studied. At pH9.1 the results of both studies are consistent with a single-process model with an affinity constant of 95m(-1) and combination and dissociation constants of 2.2x10(3)m(-1).s(-1) and 23s(-1) respectively. Ethyl isocyanide is not bound significantly at pH values lower than 6.0, and in this behaviour and the pH-dependence of the affinity constant, similarities exist between isocyanide and cyanide binding. The enthalpy of the process measured by equilibrium methods is -59kJ/mol (-14kcal/mol). At pH values below 9, the ethyl isocyanide adduct changes in a slow time-dependent manner, giving rise to a new species. These changes are reversible on increasing the pH. The results are discussed in relation to other known information about ligand binding to ferroperoxidase and to myoglobin.

Cyanides↗

PubMed1972

The kinetics of binding of oxygen and carbon monoxide to Gastrophilus haemoglobin.

The dimeric haemoglobin in the tracheal cells of the Gastrophilus larva was extracted and purified, and the spectral properties of its oxy- and carbon monoxide adducts are recorded. In dilute solutions the kinetic parameters of binding of oxygen and carbon monoxide were determined. In solutions between 0.1 and 50mum for oxygen k(on) is 1x10(7)m(-1).s(-1) and k(off) is 1s(-1); for carbon monoxide l(on) is 6.5x10(5)m(-1).s(-1) and l(off) is 0.14s(-1). These values are in agreement with previous equilibrium results on oxygen binding and carbon monoxide/oxygen partition. These results are discussed and compared with the known values for other monomeric protohaem proteins.

Animals↗

PubMed1972

Carbon monoxide binding by hemoglobin and myoglobin under photodissociating conditions.

Carbon monoxide binding by myoglobin and hemoglobin has been studied under conditions of constant illumination. For hemoglobin, the homotropic heme-heme interaction (cooperativity) and the heterotropic Bohr effect are invariant with light intensity over a 1000-fold change of c((1/2)). The dissociation constant, measured as c((1/2)), increases linearly with light intensity, indicating that photodissociation is a one-quantum process. At sufficiently high illumination the apparent enthalpy of ligand binding becomes positive, although in the absence of light it is known to be negative. This finding indicates that light acts primarily by increasing the "off" constants by an additive factor. The invariance of both cooperativity and Bohr effect raises a perplexing issue. It would appear to demand either that the "off" constants for the various elementary steps are all alike (which is contrary to current ideas) or that the additive factor is in each case proportional to the particular "off" constant to which it is added (a seemingly improbable alternative).

Animals↗

PubMed1972

Partial restoration of normal functional properties in carboxypeptidase A-digested hemoglobin.

In the absence of organic phosphates human hemoglobin A digested with carboxypeptidase A (des His, Tyr beta) has high ligand affinity, a greatly reduced Bohr effect, and no heme-heme interaction. Under these conditions, it shows the simple, homogeneous ligand-binding kinetics characteristic of noncooperative heme proteins in which the high combination velocity for both O(2) and CO accounts, to a larger extent, for the increased affinity for both these ligands. Addition of inositol hexaphosphate dramatically alters the functional properties of this digested hemoglobin. The Bohr effect is greatly increased, and at neutral pH the protein shows significant, though still reduced, heme-heme interaction, together with a 5-fold decrease in affinity. In the presence of saturating amounts of the organic phosphate, the value of n is pH dependent, dropping from 1.9 at pH 5.8 to 1.3 at pH 8.6. After inositol hexaphosphate addition, the combination of the deoxy form of the digested hemoglobin with CO is 10-times slower than that observed in the absence of the inorganic phosphate; also the combination with CO after flash photolysis is biphasic and is similar, in many respects, to that observed for unmodified hemoglobin. Besides these functional changes, addition of inositol hexaphosphate to the modified deoxyhemoglobin results in an increase in the extinction coefficient at 430 nm similar to that observed on mixing the isolated alpha and beta chains of normal hemoglobin. The results are consistent with the idea that inositol hexaphosphate shifts an equilibrium between high- and low-affinity forms of the protein.

Carbon Monoxide↗

PubMed1971