Spectrophotometric, electron paramagnetic resonance and oxygen binding studies on the hemoglobin from the marine polychaete Perinereis aibuhitensis (Grübe): comparative physiology of hemoglobin.

The physicochemical properties of giant hemoglobin (Hb) of the marine polychaete Perinereis aibuhitensis were extensively studied and the following results were obtained. (1) Light absorption spectra of the oxy, deoxy, CO, met, and cyanomet derivatives were similar to those for human Hb, except for a somewhat peculiar shape and pH-dependence of the met derivative, and high absorbance values around 277 nm for all these derivatives of Perinereis Hb. Abnormal pH dependence for the met derivative was confirmed by powder electron parmagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, which revealed that a water molecule does not coordinate to the heme iron as a sixth ligand. The high absorption around 277 nm is indicative of the existence of some non-heme polypeptide chains and/or a high content of aromatic residues in the molecule. (2) UV difference and derivative spectra revealed oxygenation-induced conformational changes in the protein moiety that are related to the degree of cooperativity. (3) The EPR spectrum for the nitrosyl derivative showed well-resolved triplet-triplet splittings due to 14N, indicating that the proximal residue is probably a histidine. (4) The oxygen affinity and cooperativity of this Hb were pH-dependent. Mg2+ markedly increased the oxygen affinity, the Bohr effect, and the cooperativity, which was maximal at physiological pH. CO2 and anions such as 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and inositol hexaphosphate had no effect on the oxygenation properties. Thus, different from vertebrate Hb, the oxygen-binding properties of this Hb are regulated by divalent cations which bind preferentially to the oxy form. The low temperature-dependence of oxygen affinity observed for this Hb is a sign of adaptation to the environment by this poikilothermic organism. (5) By using a graphic method, the minimal functional unit that preserves the full cooperativity (allosteric unit) was inferred to be the one containing 6 heme groups and its significance is discussed in connection with the structural hierarchy of the molecule.

The interaction between nitrogen oxides and hemoglobin and endothelium-derived relaxing factor.

Among nitrogen oxides, NO and NO2 are free radicals and show a variety of biological effects. NO2 is a strongly oxidizing toxicant, although NO, not oxidizing as NO2, is toxic in that it interacts with hemoglobin to form nitrosyl- and methemoglobin. Nitrosylhemoglobin shows a characteristic electron spin resonance (ESR) signal due to an odd electron localized on the nitrogen atom of NO and reacts with oxygen to yield nitrate and methemoglobin, which is rapidly reduced by methemoglobin reductase in red cells. NO was found to inhibit the reductase activity. Part of NO inhaled in the body is oxidized by oxygen to NO2, which easily dissolves in water and converts to nitrite and nitrate. The nitrite oxidizes oxyhemoglobin autocatalytically after a lag. The mechanism of the oxidation, particularly the involvement of superoxide, was controversial. The stoichiometry of the reaction has now been established using nitrate ion electrode and a methemoglobin free radical was detected by ESR during the oxidation. Complete inhibition of the autocatalysis by aniline or aminopyrine suggests that the radical catalyzes conversion of nitrite to NO2, which oxidizes oxyhemoglobin. Recently NO was shown to be one of endothelium-derived relaxing factors and the relaxation induced by the factor was inhibited by hemoglobin and potentiated by superoxide dismutase.

Color analysis method for studying oxygen transport in hemoglobin solutions using an image-input and -processing system.

A method for quantitative analysis of hemoglobin color to estimate the oxygen saturation was developed. The method uses an image-input and -processing system composed of a 3-tube video camera and a digital image analyzer. Using the system connected to a microscope, facilitated diffusion of oxygen in hemoglobin solutions was observed and analyzed in a position-sensitive way. The results confirmed its applicability to this study and gave information about the diffusion mechanism expressed by the empirical formula J = kY, where J is the flux of oxygen, Y is the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin, and k is a constant.

Mechanism of autocatalytic oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite.

Oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite is characterized by the presence of a lag phase followed by autocatalysis. The stoichiometry of the overall reaction is described by the following equation: 4HbO2 + 4NO2- + 4H+ = 4Hb+ + 4NO3- + O2 + 2H2O (Hb denotes hemoglobin monomer). During the oxidation, we detected a free radical at g = 2.005, which is very similar to the methemoglobin free radical generated by the reaction with hydrogen peroxide. Nitrosylhemoglobin was not detected. The oxidation was delayed by the addition of KCN or catalase, but was not modified by superoxide dismutase in phosphate buffer. In bistris buffer, however, superoxide dimutase markedly prolonged the lag phase. The results suggest that during the oxidation, the methemoglobin peroxide compound is generated and converts nitrite into nitrogen dioxide by its peroxidatic activity. Nitrogen dioxide oxidizes oxyhemoglobin to methemoglobin and nitrite, yielding the autocatalytic phase.

Color analysis method for estimating the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin using an image-input and processing system.

A color analysis method which enables both qualitative and quantitative analyses of an object's color was developed. The method uses a color image-input and processing system composed of a 3-tube video camera and a digital image analyzer, which quantizes a color image into values of red, green, and blue brightness, then processes these values. We introduced a spectrophotometric principle by the Beer-Lambert law, and were able to establish a color model to analyze an object's color. In the coordinate space based on our color model, the hue of the object's color is represented by the direction from the origin, and the density by the distance from the origin. This new method was used to analyze the colors of hemoglobin solutions at various oxygen saturations and concentrations. The results agreed with the known conditions, indicating the validity of the model and its usefulness for quantitative as well as qualitative analyses of color.

The binding of hemoglobin to red cell membrane lowers its oxygen affinity.

The mode of interaction of human hemoglobin (Hb) with the red cell membrane was investigated with special reference to the effect on oxygen binding properties and Hb-membrane binding constants. Compared to free native Hb, the membrane-bound native Hb showed a strikingly lowered oxygen affinity and smaller response to organic phosphates such as 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and inositol hexaphosphate. Similar effects of membrane binding were also observed for intermediately cooperative Hbs such as N-ethylmaleimide-treated Hb (NES-Hb) and iodoacetamide-treated Hb (AA-Hb), but very small effects were observed for non-cooperative Hb, i.e., carboxypeptidase A-treated Hb (des-His-Tyr Hb). The magnitude of the affinity lowering was in the order: NES-Hb greater than native Hb greater than AA-Hb much greater than des-His-Tyr Hb. In the presence of inositol hexaphosphate, the three chemically modified Hbs showed an increased oxygen affinity when bound to the red cell membrane, probably due to partial replacement of bound inositol hexaphosphate by membrane. The binding to membrane caused a slight decrease in cooperativity for native Hb, but no distinct change in cooperativity was observed for the three modified Hbs. These results imply: a) the red cell membrane binds to deoxyHb more strongly than to oxyHb; b) the difference in membrane binding affinity between oxyHb and deoxyHb is closely related to the quaternary structure change in the Hb molecule occurring upon oxygenation. The higher affinity of the membrane for deoxyHb than for oxyHb apparently disagrees with the conclusion drawn by earlier investigators. However, the present binding experiments by means of ultrafiltration proved that the red cell membrane actually binds to deoxyHb much more strongly than to oxyHb, validating the present conclusion based on oxygenation experiments. Our results are consistent with those obtained recently by other investigators using a synthetic peptide or the cytoplasmic fragment of red cell membrane band 3.

Involvement of Glu G3(101)beta in the function of hemoglobin. Comparative O2 equilibrium studies of human mutant hemoglobins.

The glutamyl residue at G3(101)beta of normal hemoglobin (Hb A) is one of the alpha 1 beta 2 subunit contacts which are vital to O2 binding properties of the molecule. The O2 equilibrium properties of the four mutants with different substitutions at this site are studied in order to elucidate the role of this residue. Under stripped conditions with minimum chloride the order of O2 affinity is: Hb A (Glu) much less than Hb Rush (Gln) less than or equal to Hb British Columbia (Lys) less than or equal to Hb Potomac (Asp) less than or equal to Hb Alberta (Gly). The first Adair constants, K1, for the mutant hemoglobins are greater than that for Hb A whereas the fourth, K4, are similar, indicating that the allosteric constants (L) of these mutants are greatly reduced. Therefore, the G3(101)beta residue contributes intrinsically to the strengthening of the structural constraints that are imposed upon the deoxy (T) forms but not the oxy (R) form. On addition of 0.1 M Cl- and further addition of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate or inositol hexaphosphate, their O2 affinities and cooperativities are altered, reflecting different responses to anionic ligands. Hb Rush exhibits a stronger chloride effect than Hb A and the other variants and, as a result, an increased Bohr effect and a smaller heat of oxygenation at pH 6.5. These changes are consistent with an increased positive net charge in the central cavity of Hb Rush and subsequent extra anion binding in the deoxy form. The tetramer to dimer dissociation constants are estimated to be greater than normal for Hb British Columbia and less than normal for Hb Alberta. This comparative study of the G3(101)beta mutants indicates that the size and the charge of this residue may influence the switching of two neighboring interchain hydrogen bonds that occurs during oxygenation of normal hemoglobin.

Quantitative and continuous analysis of ATP release from blood platelets with firefly luciferase luminescence.

An analytical method was devised to determine the entire course of the adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) release from blood platelets based on a continuous measurement of firefly luciferase luminescence. The equation of the release reaction was derived after due consideration of substrate (ATP) consumption and product (oxyluciferin) inhibition on the luciferase reaction as follows: Ct = Vt X (Km/Vmax) X (1 + It/Ki) + It, where Ct is the total concentration of the released ATP at time t, vt is the velocity of the luciferase reaction at time t and is directly measured, It is the concentration of oxyluciferin at time t, and Vmax, Km and Ki are constants. Ct of the gel-filtered platelet suspension (GFP) could be determined by substituting vt and It as functions of t. The effects of albumin and temperature on the reaction were also studied.

The Bohr effect and the Haldane effect in human hemoglobin.

Protons and carbon dioxide are physiological regulators for the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin. The heterotropic allosteric interaction between the non-heme ligands and oxygen, collectively called the Bohr effect, facilitates not only the transport of oxygen but also the exchange of carbon dioxide. Several types of interactions can be thermodynamically formulated. The Bohr and Haldane coefficients and the classical Bohr and Haldane coefficients are thus explicitly defined, which will save confusion about the use of the term "Bohr effect" seen in the literature. Molecular mechanism and the physiological significance of the classical Bohr and Haldane effects are outlined. The latter effect seems to play a far greater physiological role than the reciprocal influence of carbon dioxide on oxygen transport--the classical Bohr effect.

Mechanism of autocatalytic oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite.

Oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite is characterized by the presence of a lag phase followed by the autocatalysis. In phosphate buffer, an asymmetric ESR signal is detected at g = 2.005 (hereafter referred to as the g = 2 radical) during the oxidation which is similar to that of the methemoglobin free radical generated from methemoglobin and H2O2. Catalase and KCN prolong the oxidation, indicating the involvement of H2O2 and methemoglobin in the reaction. Superoxide dismutase, on the other hand, does not modify the oxidation. The present results suggest a chain reaction mechanism for the oxidation in which the g = 2 radical catalyzes the formation of NO.2 from NO-2 by a peroxidase action and NO.2 oxidizes oxyhemoglobin. However, in N,M-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)iminotris(hydroxymethyl)methane (bistris) buffer, superoxide dismutase markedly elongates the lag phase and accelerates the autocatalysis: bistris scavenges the g = 2 radical and a radical derived from bistris reduces O2 to O-2.

Studies on reconstituted myoglobins and hemoglobins. I. Role of the heme side chains in the oxygenation of myoglobin.

To clarify the functional role of the 2- and 4-side chains of heme in myoglobin oxygenation, we synthesized several new hemins carrying nonnatural side chains at positions 2 and 4, reconstituted myoglobins with them, and investigated their optical, ionization, and oxygen-binding properties. The absorption maxima for most of the reconstituted myoglobins except those reconstituted with hemins having carbonyl groups, no matter whether they are oxy-, deoxy-, or carbon monoxy-form, shifted by at most 20 nm toward shorter wavelengths than protoheme-myoglobin. The absorption spectrum is more affected by resonance effects than by inductive effects of the peripheral side chains of heme. Differences in optical and oxygenation properties between isomeric myoglobins carrying hemes with different side chains at positions 2 and 4 indicate that the 2- and 4-side chains of heme are functionally nonequivalent, as previously shown by Sono and Asakura [(1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 5227-5232] for monoformyl-monovinylheme myoglobins. Modification of the 4-side chain exerts greater influence on the oxygen affinity than that of the 2-side chain. The extrapolation method proposed by Sono and Asakura to correct for the protein factor seems to be applicable only as a special case and does not apply to the isomeric myoglobins studied by us. There was not correlation between pKa of the met-form and the oxygen pressure at half saturation, implying that the electronic effect of the side chains is not decisive for the oxygen affinity of myoglobin. The bulkiness of the 2- and 4-side chains, on the other hand, appear to have a certain relation to the affinity but is not a dominant factor. In addition to these factors, specific stereochemical considerations are required to explain all the oxygenation data for the various reconstituted myoglobins. We have proposed a stereochemical mechanism based on the movement of the heme group upon ligation of native myoglobin.

Studies on reconstituted myoglobins and hemoglobins. II. Role of the heme side chains in the oxygenation of hemoglobin.

To clarify the functional role of the 2- and 4-side chains of heme in hemoglobin we prepared several hemins carrying nonnatural side chains at positions 2 and 4, reconstituted human adult hemoglobins with them, and investigated their optical and oxygen binding properties. The absorption maxima for all these reconstituted hemoglobins, no matter whether they are oxy-, deoxy-, or carbon monoxy-form, shifted toward shorter wavelengths than those for protoheme-hemoglobin. As in the case of myoglobin (Kawabe, K., et al. (1982) J. Biochem. 92, 1703-1712), the absorption spectrum is more significantly affected by resonance effects than by the inductive effects of the peripheral heme substituents. Contrary to the case of myoglobins, the spectral difference between pemptoheme-hemoglobin and isopemptoheme-hemoglobin and that between 2-isopropyl-4-vinyl-deuteroheme-hemoglobin and 2-vinyl-4-isopropyldeuteroheme-hemoglobin were very small. All the reconstituted hemoglobins used in this study showed higher oxygen affinity and reduced cooperativity in oxygen binding than native hemoglobin. We have shown that the 2- and 4-side chains are functionally nonequivalent and that modification of the 4-side chain exerts greater influence on oxygen affinity than modifying the 2-side chain. The magnitude of the Bohr effect and response to 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and inositol hexaphosphate were reduced in the reconstituted hemoglobins. We have proposed a stereochemical mechanism based on constraint of heme movement before ligation against the tight distal side of the heme pocket.

Production of superoxide anion by N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-iminotris(hydroxymethyl)methane buffer during oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite and effect of inositol hexaphosphate on the oxidation.

Oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite is characterized by the presence of a lag phase followed by an autocatalysis. As reported previously (Kosaka, H., Imaizumi, K. and Tyuma, I. (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 702, 237-241), in phosphate buffer nitrite produced an ESR signal at g 2.005 (hereafter referred to as the g 2 radical). The g 2 radical produced NO.2 from NO-2, then NO.2 oxidized oxyhemoglobin. Superoxide dismutase did not modify the oxidation. On the other hand in N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)iminotris(hydroxymethyl)methane (bistris) buffer, superoxide dismutase markedly elongated the lag phase and accelerated the autocatalysis, indicating O-2 production. Bistris scavenged the g 2 radical. O-2 was generated by the reduction of O2 by a radical derived from bistris. Inositol hexaphosphate inhibited the oxidation by decreasing H2O2 production from oxyhemoglobin.

Mechanism of autocatalytic oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite. An intermediate detected by electron spin resonance.

Oxidation of oxyhemoglobin by nitrite is characterized by the presence of a lag phase followed by the autocatalysis. Just before the autocatalysis begins, an asymmetric ESR signal is detected which is similar to that of the methemoglobin radical generated from methemoglobin and H2O2 in shape, g value (2.005), peak-to-peak width (18 G) and other properties, except the difference in the dependence on temperature. Generation of H2O2 is indicated by the prolongation of the lag phase by the addition of catalase. On the other hand, the oxidation is modified by neither superoxide dismutase nor Nitroblue tetrazolium. The oxidation is prolonged in the presence of KCN. The present results indicate a free-radical mechanism for the oxidation in which the asymmetric radical catalyzes the formation of NO2 from NO2- by a peroxidase action and NO2 oxidizes oxyhemoglobin in the autocatalytic phase.