Lecture 11 Flashcards
What is myoglobin?
An oxygen storage protein in tissue which holds O2 until it is required
What is the primary structure of myoglobin?
About 150 amino acids
What is the secondary structure of myoglobin?
8 Alpha helices labelled A-H and connecting loops
What is the tertiary structure of myoglibin?
Globin fold that generates a hydrophobic pocked where the haem binds to the HisF8
What is the quaternary structure of myoglobin?
Monometric, a single polypeptide chain
What is the haem?
Four pyrrole rings linked together in a plane. Central Iron with six coordinate bonds with four to the N of the haem (pyrrole rings), one to the N of the HisF8 and one to O2
Is the binding of O2 to the Fe2+ reversible or irreversible?
Reversible
What gives the haem its red colour?
The molecular electronic orbitals
How can we quantify dissolved molecules?
Through spectroscopy
What is spectroscopy?
A measure of how well light is transmitted through a solution
What type of light is used in the spectrometer?
Monochromatic light
What is the Beer-Lambert Law?
The conversion from absorbance to concentration
How does the spectroscopy of the globins measure the binding of O2?
Shape of the spectrum differs with colour and the chemical nature of solute.
Is the globin protein coloured or colourless?
Colourless, but has UV absorbance
What colour is the oxyhaemoglobin?
Bright red