Ligand Exchange Reactions of the Heme Group in Hemoglobin and Myoglobin as Studied by Pulse Radiolysis

摘要

In this thesis, the kinetic aspects of the ligand exchange reactions of hemoglobin are studied using the pulse radiolysis technique, in particular, the reactions of hydrated electrons with methemoglobin. A hitherto unobserved transient state of the heme group is observed which appears immediately after the rapid reduction process. The absorption spectrum of this new species has the characteristics of a ferrous low-spin state and can therefore be ascribed to the formation of a hemochrome non-equilibrium state. The subsequent relaxation of this intermediate structure into a deoxy-conformation is dependent on the amount of proton activity in the solution and on the presence of organic and inorganic phosphate anions. The final absorption spectrum of the heme group is shown to correspond to a ferrous high-spin state in the relaxed quaternary conformation. This is in agreement with the kinetics observed in the binding of carbon monoxide and oxygen to partially reduced methemoglobin. At reduction degrees of methemoglobin as well as of valency hybrids where there is an important contribution from species with two reduced subunits, the binding of carbon monoxide to hemoglobin occurs with on-rate constants characteristic for the tensed quaternary conformation. It is argued that this conformational change of hemoglobin (the R-to-T transition) takes place very rapidly, which suggests the participation of an activated relaxed conformation. In addition, it is found that there is a distinct heterogeneity in the binding of oxygen to partially reduced methemoglobin even at low degrees of reduction. (Atomindex citation 09:378541)