Liganded and unliganded forms of Antarctic fish haemoglobins in polyethylene glycol: crystallization of an R-state haemichrome intermediate

Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2001 Aug;57(Pt 8):1144-6. doi: 10.1107/s0907444901007739. Epub 2001 Jul 23.

Abstract

Liganded and unliganded forms of two Antarctic fish haemoglobins, from Trematomus newnesi and T. bernacchii, have been crystallized in low-salt media using polyethylene glycol as precipitant. In particular, crystals of air-exposed T. newnesi carbomonoxy haemoglobin were found to be isomorphous to the crystals grown in high-salt media. Preliminary X-ray analysis of the diffraction data revealed that the beta-haem iron of this haemoglobin is in the haemichrome state, with both the proximal and distal histidyl residues linked to the iron. This is the first crystallization of a haemichrome intermediate of a vertebrate haemoglobin.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antarctic Regions
  • Crystallization
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Hemeproteins / chemistry*
  • Hemoglobins / chemistry*
  • Ligands
  • Models, Molecular
  • Perciformes*
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
  • Protein Conformation

Substances

  • Hemeproteins
  • Hemoglobins
  • Ligands
  • hemichrome
  • Polyethylene Glycols