lecture 7 - oxygen transport: haemoglobin vs myoglobin Flashcards
What is myoglobin?
A haem protein that stores and supplies oxygen to cardiac and smooth muscle.
The amount of myoglobin in human muscle allows for how much intense activity?
7 seconds
After myoglobin has released all of its available oxygen into the muscles, where must oxygen be sourced from?
The lungs
Where does haem bind to myoglobin?
In the globulin fold, which provides a pocket for haem binding
What is haem?
A prosthetic group/cofactor
What is the structure of a haem unit?
4 pyrrole rings connected in a plane with a central Fe2+ ion that can bond to protein (haemoglobin of myoglobin) and O2
What is the primary structure of myoglobin?
Made up of ~150 amino acids
What is the secondary structure of myoglobin?
Made up of 8 alpha-helices (named A to H), and connecting loops (AB, BC …)
What is the tertiary structure of the myoglobin protein?
Globin fold with a hydrophobic pocket
Where does haem bind on myoglobin?
His F8 (Histidine, the eighth amino acid in Helix F)
What is the location of His F8 on myoglobin?
A Histidine residue, the eighth amino acid on the F helix
What is the quaternary structure of myoglobin?
Is a monomeric (single polypeptide) chain so doesn’t technically have a quaternary structure
What is the structure of haem, when bound to oxygenated myoglobin?
4 pyrrole rings linked together in a plane with 4 coordinate bonds to Fe (II) via N atoms. The Fe then has two other coordinate bonds to O2 and the nitrogen atom of His F8 on myoglobin
What gives haem its characteristic red colour?
Molecular electronic orbitals of Fe2+ absorb complementary/opposite wave lengths of light
Is the binding of oxygen to haem reversible or irreversible?
Reversible
What part of the myoglobin protein does O2 break and reform interactions with?
His E7
What is the relationship expressed by the Beer-Lambert Law?
There is a linear relationship (direct proportionality) between the concentration and absorption of a solution
What is the colour of HbO2?
bright red
What is the colour of Hb (deoxyhaemoglobin)?
Dull red
What is the symbol for oxyhemoglobin?
HbO2
What is the symbol for deoxyhemoglobin?
Hb
How does His E7 affect O2 binding on myoglobin?
Distorts binding of gas molecules to Haem, reducing the binding affinity of oxygen to myoglobin, making it easier to release oxygen into a muscle cell.
How does lactate affect oxygen binding to myoglobin?
Reduces mygolbin’s affinity to myoglobin allosterically, shifting the binding curve to the right
How does lactate in muscles affect oxygen availability?
Lactate builds up in muscles promoting oxygen release from myoglobin, increasing O2 availability for respiration
What is the mechanism through which lactate affects oxygen binding in myoglobin and haemoglobin?
Allosteric control - lactate binds to an alternative site to the binding pocket
What is the shape of a myoglobin binding curve?
Hyperbolic