Measurement of rate constants for reactions of O2, CO, and NO with hemoglobin.
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Carbon Monoxide↗
Biomedical subjects
John S Olson
Publications and source records attributed to John S Olson.
Myoglobin as a model system for designing heme protein based blood substitutes.
The ligand binding properties and resistances to denaturation of >300 different site-directed mutants of sperm whale, pig, and human myoglobin have been examined over the past 15 years. This library of recombinant proteins has been used to derive chemical mechanisms for ligand binding and to examine the factors governing holo- and apoglobin stability. We have also examined the effects of mutagenesis on the dioxygenation of NO by MbO(2) to form NO(3)(-) and metMb. This reaction rapidly detoxifies NO and is a key physiological function of both myoglobins and hemoglobins. The mechanisms derived for O(2) binding and NO dioxygenation have been used to design safer, more efficient, and more stable heme protein-prototypes for use as O(2) delivery pharmaceuticals in transfusion therapy (i.e. blood substitutes). An interactive database is being developed (http://olsonnt1.bioc.rice.edu/web/myoglobinhome.asp) to allow rapid access to the ligand binding parameters, stability properties, and crystal structures of the entire set of recombinant myoglobins. The long-range goal is to use this library for developing general protein engineering principles and for designing individual heme proteins for specific pharmacological and industrial uses.
Animals↗
Controlling ligand binding in myoglobin by mutagenesis.
A quadruple mutant of sperm whale myoglobin was constructed to mimic the structure found in Ascaris suum hemoglobin. The replacements include His(E7)-->Gln, Leu(B10)-->Tyr, Thr(E10)--> Arg, and Ile(G8)-->Phe. Single, double, and triple mutants were characterized to dissect out the effects of the individual substitutions. The crystal structures of the deoxy and oxy forms of the quadruple mutant were determined and compared with that of native Ascaris hemoglobin. Tyr(B10) myoglobin displays low O(2) affinity, high dissociation rate constants, and heterogeneous kinetic behavior, suggesting unfavorable steric interactions between the B10 phenol side chain and His(E7). In contrast, all mutants containing the Tyr(B10)/Gln(E7) pair show high O(2) affinity, low dissociation rate constants, and simple, monophasic kinetic behavior. Replacement of Ile(107) with Phe enhances nanosecond geminate recombination singly and in combination with the Tyr(B10)/Gln(E7)/Arg(E10) mutation by limiting access to the Xe4 site. These kinetic results and comparisons with native Ascaris hemoglobin demonstrate the importance of distal pocket cavities in governing the kinetics of ligand binding. The approximately 150-fold higher O(2) affinity of Ascaris hemoglobin compared with that for Tyr(B10)/Gln(E7)-containing myoglobin mutants appears to be the result of favorable proximal effects in the Ascaris protein, due to a staggered orientation of His(F8), the lack of a hydrogen bonding lattice between the F4, F7, and F8 residues, and the presence of a large polar Trp(G5) residue in the interior portion of the proximal heme pocket.
Amino Acid Motifs↗