Proton nuclear magnetic resonance study of the solution distal histidine orientation in monomeric Chironomus thummi thummi cyanomet hemoglobins. Dynamic stability of the heme pocket as monitored by labile proton exchange.

The 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectral characteristics of the cyano-Met form of Chironomus thummi thummi monomeric hemoglobins I, III and IV in 1H2O solvent are reported. A set of four exchangeable hyperfine-shifted resonances is found for each of the two heme-insertion isomers in the hyperfine-shifted region downfield of ten parts per million. An analysis of relaxation, exchange rates and nuclear Overhauser effects leads to assignments for all these resonances to histidine F8 and the side-chains of histidine E7 and arginine FG3. It is evident that in aqueous solution, the side-chain from histidine E7 does not occupy two orientations, as found for the solid state, rather the histidine E7 side-chain adopts a conformation similar to that of sperm whale myoglobin or hemoglobin A, oriented into the heme pocket and in contact with the bound ligand. Evidence is presented to show that the allosteric transition in the Chironomus thummi thummi hemoglobins arises from the "trans effect". An analysis of the exchange with bulk solvent of the assigned histidine E7 labile proton confirms that the group is completely buried within the heme pocket in a manner similar to that found for sperm whale cyano-Met myoglobin, and that the transient exposure to solvent is no more likely than in mammalian myoglobins with the "normal" distal histidine orientation. Finally, a comparison of solvent access to the heme pocket of the three monomeric C. thummi thummi hemoglobins, as measured from proton exchange rates of heme pocket protons, is made and correlated to binding studies with the diffusible small molecules such as O2.