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Hemoglobin is encapsulated in liposomes of different lipid composition. The resulting dispersion consists primarily of multilamellar liposomes (hemosomes) of a wide particle size distribution (diameter ranging mainly between 0.1 and 1 micron). The encapsulation efficiency is significantly larger with liposomes containing negatively charged lipids as compared to liposomes made of phosphatidylcholine. The integrity of the phospholipid bilayer is maintained in the presence of hemoglobin. The reaction rate of CO binding to encapsulated hemoglobin is reduced compared to that of free hemoglobin, but it is still greater than that observed in red blood cells. Hemoglobin encapsulated in liposomes made from negatively charged phospholipids is less stable than hemoglobin entrapped in isoelectric phosphatidylcholine. The instability of hemoglobin is due to the protein interacting with the negatively charged lipid bilayer. This interaction leads in turn to hemoglobin denaturation, possibly involving the dissociation of the heme group from the heme-globin complex. The nature of the negatively charged phospholipid is important in promoting the interaction with hemoglobin, the effect being in the order phosphatidic acid greater than phosphatidylinositol congruent to phosphatidylglycerol greater than phosphatidylserine. The presence of equimolar amounts of cholesterol in the phospholipid bilayer has a stabilizing effect on hemoglobin. This effect is pronounced with saturated phospholipids, but it is also observed, though to a lesser extent, with unsaturated ones, indicating that the bilayer fluidity has a modulating effect. The presence of cholesterol possibly interferes with secondary interactions following the binding of hemoglobin to the negatively charged lipid bilayer.

Both ATP and GTP are present in considerable amounts in red cells of the common goldfish Carassius auratus. They both influence the Root effect of the single major fish hemoglobin, but GTP is, depending on pH, 2-6 times more effective than ATP. The two triphosphates account for 3/4 of the effect of trichloroacetic acid supernatant obtained from hemolysate which contains still some compound(s) which can influence the shift of the Root effect toward higher pH.

The electron paramagnetic resonance properties of the nitric oxide derivative of liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) hemoglobin (DD-Hb) have been investigated in the pH range from 4.8 to 7.8. In the neutral and alkaline regions the spectra have a rhombic shape, with gx = 2.09, gy = 1.99 and gz = 2.009, and a triplet hyperfine structure of 2.2 mT, due to the nitrogen of the bound NO molecule, in the center resonance. No superhyperfine lines in the gz region, related to the interaction of the iron with the proximal histidine, are detected, suggesting a large distance between the metal and the N epsilon of the imidazole. By lowering the pH the EPR spectrum undergoes a reversible change showing a 3-line pattern in the high-field region. Such a spectrum is fully formed at pH 4.8 and is interpreted in terms of a dissociation of the proximal histidine from the heme iron.

Reconstitution of liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) apo-hemoglobin with hemins selectively deuterated at specific positions has permitted the assignment of several heme resonances in the proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the Met-aquo and Met-cyano forms of the holoprotein. It was established that in the Met-aquo form the meso protons resonate at positions characteristic of a six-co-ordinated in-plane iron. From this, we deduced that the Met-aquo species retains a bound water molecule at pH values as low as 4.5. The orientation of the proximal histidine imidazole ring with respect to the heme group in the cavity was determined through the identification of the heme methyl signals and the analysis of the hyperfine shift pattern in the Met-cyano hemoglobin proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum. Compared to sperm whale myoglobin, the heme appears to be rotated by 180 degrees about the alpha, gamma meso-axis. Protein isomers with the heme group in a reversed orientation were not detected, even shortly after reconstitution. In the Met-cyano form, the resonances most affected by the Bohr transition were shown to arise from the heme propionates.

The effects of membrane phospholipid composition, surface charge and cholesterol content on the deteriorating interactions between hemoglobin (Hb) and phospholipid bilayers were studied. Hb was either encapsulated in multilamellar liposomes (hemosomes), or incubated with small unilamellar vesicles (SUV). Negatively charged phospholipids increased the rate of oxyHb decay in unsaturated lipid hemosomes. This effect was not linked to Hb-induced lipid peroxidation, since the latter process was inhibited in hemosomes with negative surface charge. Cholesterol decreased both the negative-charge elicited fall in oxyHb-level, and Hb-induced lipid peroxidation. In hemosomes prepared from synthetic, saturated phospholipids, negative surface charge (phosphatidic acid) elicited drastic denaturation (bleaching) of Hb, which effect was completely prevented by cholesterol. The experiments with SUV prepared from unsaturated lipids indicated intercalation of Hb into the bilayer due to hydrophobic interaction. This process was decreased by membrane cholesterol. Negative surface charge of the vesicles, through an electrostatic interaction with the positively charged heme, resulted in the displacement of heme relative to globin. This process was also decreased by cholesterol. With saturated, negatively charged SUV, the penetration of Hb into the bilayer was smaller, but the ionic interaction between the acidic lipids and the heme led to the detachment of the letter from globin. Cholesterol in such membrane increased the intercalation of Hb into the membrane, and at the same time completely prevented the loss of heme. The latter observations suggest that the fluid phase of the membrane favours the hydrophobic interaction with the protein, whereas the gel state promotes the partition of the heme into the bilayer. It is suggested that the effects of cholesterol are indirect, mediated by changes in membrane fluidity. By highlighting potentially harmful reactions between Hb and phospholipid bilayers, our findings may help the design of in-vitro stable hemosomes.

The equilibria of the binding of methyl and ethyl isonitrile to carp hemoglobin have been measured at three pH values in the presence and absence of inositol hexaphosphate. The binding of methyl isonitrile is characterized by a higher overall dissociation constant, C1/2, and a higher Hill coefficient, n, than that of the ethyl derivative. The former is consistent with the greater hydrophobicity of ethyl isonitrile, and the latter is probably due to a greater intrinsic difference or heterogeneity in the binding affinities of the alpha- and beta-chains for the larger ligand. Changes in log C1/2 which result from alterations in pH or addition of organic phosphate are the same for both ligands within experimental error. This result is not consistent with affinity changes being the result of steric interactions between the protein and the ligand. At pH 6 in the presence of inositol hexaphosphate, equilibrium parameters estimated from overall rates of ligand binding and dissociation are in good agreement with direct equilibrium measurements. This is consistent with the protein being in a low-affinity, T-like state even when saturated with ligand under these conditions, resulting in a loss of cooperativity in ligand binding. At high pH, ligand binding remains cooperative, as evidenced by n values greater than unity, a general lack of agreement between measured equilibrium parameters and those estimated from overall kinetic constants, and differences in the kinetics of ligand binding as observed by rapid-mixing and flash photolysis techniques. Thus, the deoxygenated state of carp hemoglobin at high pH does not appear to be a good model of a deoxygenated R quaternary structural state.

The total methodology for a new mammalian erythroid cell system which permits direct investigation of the terminal stages of hemoglobin synthesis and assembly is described. The canine system allows quantitative separation of native heme containing alpha and beta chains which recombine to for tetrameric hemoglobin with normal functional properties (n = 2.17). These chains can be utilized for investigation in a cell-free system in which the rates of synthesis of alpha and beta chains are equal (alpha/beta = 0.96 +/- 0.05). Methodology for the quantitative separation of globin allows study of the effects of balanced and unbalanced globin chain synthesis in both the intact cells and the cell-free system.

The kinetics of oxygen and carbon monoxide binding to the monomeric liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) hemoglobin have been studied. The ligand association rates are approximately 1 X 10(8) and approximately 3 X 10(8) M-1 s-1, respectively, for CO and O2 and show no pH dependence. On the contrary the ligand dissociation rates decrease by lowering the pH below 7, the pK of the transition being around 5.5. These findings, together with spectroscopic properties of the protein, are discussed in relation to the fact that, in this hemoglobin, the distal histidine is replaced by a glycine.

The replacement of O2 with CO was studied on cobalt-iron hemoglobin hybrids. Both proto- and mesocobalt hemes were used for the reconstitution. In the oxy quaternary conformation no difference is observed between alpha- and beta-subunits when only proto hemes are present in the hybrid (k4 = 30 s-1, k'4/l'4 = 2.5). If Co-meso heme is present on the beta-chains the binding properties of the partner subunit are modified (k'4/l'4 = 4).

At 77 K the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of the NO derivatives of the mutant haemoglobins Hb M Iwate and Hb Zurich as well as of the isolated chains of normal haemoglobin were studied. Two types of ESR spectra differing in the g-value and the hyperfine splitting at gzz were observed. The type II spectrum is characterized by a hyperfine structure at gzz = 2.005 with a splitting constant of deltaH = 23 G (14NO) or 32 G (15NO), respectively. In the type I spectrum the splitting constant of the hyperfine structure at gzz = 2.009 amounts to deltaH = 18 G (14NO) or 23 G (15NO), respectively. In some cases this hyperfine structure is coincident with another one at gxx = 2.064 with nearly identical splitting constant. In addition, the type I spectrum is characterized by an increased ESR absorption at gxx = 2.064. At neutral pH the NO derivatives of the isolated chains as well as of the mutant haemoglobins give rise to a type II spectrum. In correspondence with previous results gained with normal NO haemoglobin, the ESR spectra of the NO-alpha chains and NO-Hb Zurich show a transition to type I in the acid region. This transition is favoured by binding of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate. On the other hand, the ESR spectra of the NO-beta chains and NO-Hb M Iwate are of the type II also at acid pH. The NO-beta chains show a transition of the ESR spectrum from type II to type I only at alkaline pH. These results indicate that in the tetrameric NO haemoglobin only the alpha chains are responsible for the transition of the ESR spectrum from type II to type I in the acid region. The two types of ESR spectra are interpreted in terms of two kinds of haem-NO complexes differing in the iron-NO and iron-imidazole distances. The type II spectrum is attributed to a complex with a relatively short iron-imidazole distance which is responsible for a weakened sigma-bond in trans position. The type I spectrum arises then from a complex with a larger iron-imidazole bond leading to an approach of the NO molecule to the iron. The influence of the protein conformation upon the iron-imidazole bond length is discussed with regard to the ESR spectra of the mutant NO haemoglobins and considering the influence of agents modifying the protein structure.

Native rat haemoglobins were found to bind simetryn sulphoxide to an extent 40-fold greater than human haemoglobin. This specific behaviour was studied by using only high-pressure ('performance') liquid chromatography for the preparative separation of globin chains and the isolation of peptides resulting from chemical and enzymic degradation. High recoveries (greater than 80%) of peptides throughout the procedures in combination with microsequence techniques, allow a definitive assignment of the residue undergoing modification. The haemoglobin beta-chain cystine-125 residue, with a stoichiometry of one per tetramer of rat haemoglobin, was found to be modified. Stereochemical implications of this finding are discussed. Simetryn sulphoxide would appear to be useful as a specific reagent for the mapping of exposed thiol residues in proteins.

It has been proposed that the process of ligand binding to hemoproteins is governed by sequential potential barriers as depicted in the following scheme [Austin et al., Biochemistry 14, pp. 5355-5373, 1975; Ansari et al., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. USA. pp. 5000-5004, 1985]: (formula; see text) At sufficiently high temperatures (approximately 300 K), the binding process is exponential in time and its velocity proportional to the concentration of the ligand in the solvent. At low temperatures (typically less than 210 K), the combination velocity is not correlated with the amount of free ligand in the solvent and the time course is nonexponential (approximately power law). This implies that (a) proteins are flexible structures and fluctuate between many substates, each having a different ligand binding velocity, and (b) that the rate of interconversion between the various conformational substates is high compared to that of ligand binding at and above room temperature and extremely slow below approximately 200 K. We have investigated the temperature dependence of CO binding after a photolysing pulse to a variety of myoglobins and hemoglobin subunits. The results show that for all myoglobins investigated, the most probable activation energy for the inner process (B----A) is in the order of 10 kJ/mol, while for the hemoglobin subunits it varies between 2.5 and 5 kJ/mol. The distribution of barrier heights is very broad in myoglobins, somewhat narrower in the non-alpha-chains and narrowest in the alpha-hemoglobin subunits. This finding implies that different degrees of flexibility exist between storage and transport proteins and that hemoglobin cooperativity may be related to the presence of subunits with different flexibility within the tetramer.

Proteolytic activity against native hemoglobin polypeptide chains is demonstrated, under strictly physiological conditions, in human reticulocytes of both normal subjects and individuals suffering from a variety of pathologic conditions involving erythrocytes, including beta-thalassemia. Two thirds of the activity are found in the cytoplasm and the remainder of it is associated with the reticulocyte membrane. That this proteolytic activity is due to contamination by WBC is excluded. The activity preferentially degrades the alpha-hemoglobin chains. An increase in this substrate within the erythroid cells, as observed in beta-thalassemia, does not enhance proteolysis. Protease inhibitors produce a variable decrease in proteolysis. None inhibit completely, thus showing that several enzymes, with different specificities, are involved.

Hemoglobin (Hb) was incubated with small unilamellar vesicles of different lipid compositions in physiological or low pH-low ionic strength media, and the alterations in the protein and bilayer structure were analyzed by measuring (i) the sedimentation properties and elution pattern of the vesicles upon gel filtration, (ii) the quenching effect of Hb on the fluorescence of membrane-embedded probes, (iii) the intrinsic fluorescence of Hb, and (iv) the Soret spectra of Hb. The results indicate complex formation between Hb and the membrane, followed by intercalation of the protein into the bilayer. These processes can lead to secondary alterations, including aggregation, peroxidative decomposition of unsaturated fatty acids, unfolding of Hb, oxidation of the heme iron, displacement of the heme relative to globin, and oxidative or nonoxidative deconjugation of the porphyrin ring. Complex formation and intercalation of Hb into the bilayer are primarily due to hydrophobic interaction between the protein and the membrane, whereas displacement of the heme and its nonoxidative deconjugation are elicited by ionic interaction between the heme and negative membrane surface charges. These charges, on the other hand, inhibit the oxidative processes in unsaturated lipid vesicles. The rate and extent of alterations both in the protein and in the membrane show inverse correlation with the stability of the heme-globin linkage. The liquid-crystalline phase state promotes the penetration of Hb into the bilayer, whereas displacement of the heme is most expressed in the case of saturated bilayers in the gel state. Cholesterol inhibits both the hydrophobic and ionic interactions between the protein and bilayer, most remarkably the partition of the heme into negatively charged saturated bilayers. It is suggested that the effects of cholesterol are mediated through changes in membrane fluidity.