title: Transduction of binding energy into hemoglobin cooperativity.
abstract: Hemoglobin is a tetrameric molecule consisting of two identical alpha beta dimers which assemble into either of two quaternary structures, T or R. Recent studies on mutant and partially ligated hemoglobins have revealed that cooperativity exists between the alpha and the beta hemes of each dimeric half-molecule and have led to a symmetry rule for quaternary T-->R switching: the quaternary R structure is energetically favored over the T structure when each dimeric half-molecule contains at least one ligated subunit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Ackers
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hazzard
mesh_terms: D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D011487:Protein Conformation; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins