title: Monooxygenase activity of human hemoglobin: role of quaternary structure in the preponderant activity of the beta subunits within the tetramer.
abstract: Catalysis of para hydroxylation of aniline was measured for human ferrihemoglobin and various derivatives in a reconstituted system consisting of the appropriate hemoprotein (at 4 microM heme), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), cytochrome P-450 reductase, and aniline under atmospheric O2. The isolated subunits of hemoglobin (alpha 3+ and beta 3+4) were prepared by treatment with p-(hydroxymercuri)benzoate. Semihemoglobin (alpha heme2 beta 02) was prepared from ferrihemoglobin and apohemoglobin. Converse valency hybrids alpha 3+2(beta 2+-CO)2 and (alpha 2+-CO)2 beta 3+2 were prepared from appropriately ligated alpha and beta subunits. After chromatography, the hemoglobin derivatives were characterized by visible and 1H NMR spectroscopy and electrophoresis. At the same concentration of aniline, the alpha and beta subunits were much less active than the normal tetramer. alpha-Semihemoglobin and the alpha 3+2(beta 2+-CO)2 hybrid also displayed lower hydroxylase activity. The (alpha 2+-CO)2 beta 3+2 hybrid was about as active as normal alpha 3+2 beta 3+2. This result suggests that the activity of tetrameric hemoglobin primarily involves the beta subunits. Also transfer of the beta subunits from the beta 4 molecular environment to the alpha 2 beta 2 state enhances their monooxygenase activity approximately 15-fold. The hemoglobin derivatives were differently susceptible to substrate inhibition, the beta 4 species being most sensitive. Estimates of Vmax from the linear portions of the corresponding Lineweaver-Burk plots showed agreement within a factor of 2.5 for all of the hemoglobin derivatives, suggesting that the intrinsic O2-activating capacities of the derivatives are similar.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D000815:Aniline Hydroxylase / Q000097:blood*; D001059:Apoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases / Q000097:blood*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008706:Methemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase / Q000097:blood; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000097:blood; D055503:Protein Multimerization
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D001059:Apoproteins; D006454:Hemoglobins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; C023478:apohemoglobin; D008706:Methemoglobin; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D010105:Oxygenases; D000815:Aniline Hydroxylase; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase; C023650:aniline