Structure and Function of Human Hemoglobin Covalently Labeled with Periodate-oxidized Adenosine Triphosphate

Low oxygen affinity derivatives of human hemoglobin by fixation of polycarboxylic dextran to the oxyform

Solutions of modified adult human hemoglobin (Hb) have potential applications as physiological oxygen carriers. The chemical modification that has been the most studied during the last few years is the cross-linking of the protein between its two alpha beta dimers, in order, first, to hamper their diffusion through the kidney and therefore increase the plasma persistence of Hb, and second, to decrease its oxygen affinity. However, despite the cross-linking, the vascular retention time is only increased by a factor of three, and a supplementary modification of cross-linked Hb is needed in order to further improve its in vivo half-life. The Hb derivatives described in this paper were obtained by the covalent fixation of benzene tetracarboxylate-substituted dextran onto oxyHb. The resulting conjugates all exhibited a higher P50 than native Hb. The experiments carried out in the presence of inositol hexaphosphate showed that the allosteric sites of Hb molecules were occupied by the polymeric reagent. The important decrease in the Bohr effect and the lack of the Cl- effect on the oxygen-binding properties proved that the Val 1 alpha residue was also substituted. Finally, the ability of some conjugates to unload as much O2 as blood, together with their other properties, make them quite promising candidates as red cell substitutes.

Using periodate-oxidized nucleotide as affinity label for the nucleotide site of proteins

The active site of pigeon liver malic enzyme was labeled with a fluorescent affinity label, the periodate-oxidized aminopyridine adenine dinucleotide phosphate. The modified enzyme was subjected to proteolytic digestion with trypsin. The resulted peptides were then separated with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on Waters muBondapak C18 column. Two pure fluorescent peptides were obtained after three runs of the chromatography. The peptides were then subjected to automatic Edman degradation on a Beckman peptide sequencer and subsequently separated and identified with phenylthiohydantoin C18 column. No sequence was obtained. The possible reasons for the failure in sequencing the periodate-oxidized nucleotides labeled active site peptide and some possible pitfalls in using these reagents were discussed.

Covalent fixation of polymer-linked benzene hexacarboxylate onto human haemoglobin

The reaction of human deoxy and oxyhaemoglobin with a macromolecular effector, monomethoxypolyoxyethylene-linked benzene hexacarboxylate, in the presence of a water soluble carbodiimide, produces under defined conditions, the same conjugates preferentially acylated at the two valines beta 1. The oxygen affinity of both these conjugates is decreased by approximately 5-fold compared with that of native Hb (at pH 7.2, in 0.05 M Tris buffer, 25 degrees C, P50: 20.1 and 20.7 Torr versus about 4 Torr for Hb). This difference appears to be due to an overstabilization of the T state probably together with a decrease of the oxygen affinity of the R state. Addition of IHP to the conjugate solutions does not influence the P50 but addition of IHP to the reaction mixtures before the coupling limits the substitution of Hb by the macromolecular effector, to 20% (instead of 100% in absence of IHP). The cooperativity curve is shifted to the right with an Nmax of 3 at about 90% oxygen saturation, which corresponds to a potential release of 48% of oxygen at pH 7.2, 25 degrees C, between 100 and 40 Torr, compared with 40% for blood. Such kinds of conjugates especially those obtained from oxyhaemoglobin which are easily prepared, could be of a great interest as non-diffusing oxygen carriers in transfusional and perfusional fluids.