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Electrostatic interactions in the assembly of haemoglobin

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Abstract

Haemoglobin is the prototype of an allosteric protein in which cooperative behaviour depends on interaction between unlike subunits1–3. Here we present haematological and biochemical evidence that electrostatic interactions are an important determinant of haemoglobin assembly. Individuals heterozygous for positively charged β-globin variants have a significantly lower proportion of abnormal haemoglobin than those with negatively charged variants. Moreover, these differences become more pronounced when α-thalassaemia is also present. Kinetic experiments using isolated chains indicate that the rate of assembly of the heterotetramer is influenced by alterations in surface charge. A simple electrostatic model is proposed in an attempt to explain these haematological and experimental findings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Hematology Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    H. Franklin Bunn & Melisenda J. McDonald

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  1. H. Franklin Bunn
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  2. Melisenda J. McDonald
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Bunn, H., McDonald, M. Electrostatic interactions in the assembly of haemoglobin. Nature 306, 498–500 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/306498a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/306498a0

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