title: Adventitious variability? The amino acid sequences of nonvertebrate globins.
abstract: 1. The more than 140 amino acid sequences of non-vertebrate hemoglobins (Hbs) and myoglobins (Mbs) that are known at present, can be divided into several distinct groups: (1) single-chain globins, containing one heme-binding domain; (2) truncated, single-chain, one-domain globins; (3) chimeric, one-domain globins; (4) chimeric, two-domain globins; and (5) chimeric multi-domain globins. 2. The crystal structures of eight nonvertebrate Hbs and Mbs are known, all of them monomeric, one-domain globin chains. Although these molecules represent plants, prokaryotes and several metazoan groups, and although the inter-subunit interactions in the dimeric and tetrameric molecules differ from the ones observed in vertebrate Hbs, the secondary structures of all seven one-domain globins retain the characteristic vertebrate "myoglobin fold". No crystal structures of globins representing the other four groups have been determined. 3. Furthermore, a number of the one-, two- and multi-domain globin chains participate in a broad variety of quaternary structures, ranging from homo- and heterodimers to highly complex, multisubunit aggregates with M(r) > 3000 kDa (S. N. Vinogradov, Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 82B, 1-15, 1985). 4. (1) The single-chain, single-domain globins are comparable in size to the vertebrate globins and exhibit the widest distribution. (A) Intracellular Hbs include: (i) the monomeric and polymeric Hbs of the polychaete Glycera; (ii) the tetrameric Hb of the echiuran Urechis; (iii) the dimeric Hbs of echinoderms such as Paracaudina and Caudina; and (iv) the dimeric and tetrameric Hbs of molluscs, the bivalves Scapharca, Anadara, Barbatia and Calyptogena. (B) Extracellular Hbs include: (i) the multiple monomeric and dimeric Hbs of the larva of the insect Chironomus; (ii) the Hbs of nematodes such as Trichostrongylus and Caenorhabditis; (iii) the globin chains forming tetramers and dodecamers and comprising approximately 2/3 of the giant (approximately 3600 kDa), hexagonal bilayer (HBL) Hbs of annelids, e.g. the oligochaete Lumbricus and the polychaete Tylorrhynchus and of the vestimentiferan Lamellibrachia; and (iv) the globin chains comprising the ca 400 kDa Hbs of Lamellibrachia and the pogonophoran Oligobrachia. (C) Cytoplasmic Hbs include: (i) the Mbs of molluscs, the gastropods Aplysia, Bursatella, Cerithedea, Nassa and Dolabella and the chiton Liolophura; (ii) the three Hb of the symbiont-harboring bivalve Lucina; (iii) the dimeric Hb of the bacterium Vitreoscilla; and (iv) plant Hbs, including the Hbs of symbiont-containing legumes (Lgbs), the Hbs of symbiont-containing non-leguminous plants and the Hbs in the roots of symbiont-free plants.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Vinogradov
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Walz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pohajdak
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moens
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Kapp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Trotman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D009211:Myoglobin; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins