title: The primary structure of the hemoglobin from the grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) and the black flying fox (P. alecto, Megachiroptera).
abstract: The primary structures of the hemoglobins of two Flying Foxes of the genus Pteropus are presented. Both comprise two components: in P. alecto hemoglobin two alpha-chains at a ratio of 1:1 and two beta-chains at a ratio of 4:1 were detected. The hemoglobin of P. poliocephalus comprises one alpha-chain and two beta-chains, the latter at a ratio of 1:1. The globin chains were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography and the sequences determined by automatic liquid and gas phase Edman degradation of the chains and their tryptic peptides. Compared with human hemoglobin, the alpha-chains of P. alecto and P. poliocephalus show 18 and 19 exchanges, respectively, whereas in the beta-chains 16/17 substitutions are found in both cases. In the alpha-chains of P. alecto, one exchange involves an alpha 1/beta 1-contact. In the beta-chains of both species one heme-, one alpha 1/beta 2- and two alpha 1/beta 1-contacts are exchanged. The relevant side chains are the same in both species. The functional and systematic aspects of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Abteilung Proteinchemie, Martinsried bei München.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kleinschmidt
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Sgouros
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Pettigrew
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Braunitzer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005589:Foxes / Q000097:blood*; D005914:Globins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D013045:Species Specificity; D014357:Trypsin
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D005914:Globins; D014357:Trypsin