Assembly of Octopus dofleini hemocyanin. A study of the kinetics by sedimentation, light scattering and electron microscopy.

The kinetics of association of Octopus dofleini hemocyanin subunits to form the native decameric molecule have been studied with a combination of sedimentation, light scattering and electron microscopy. The reaction, initiated by addition of magnesium, is relatively slow, requiring hours to reach completion, with monomer and decamer as predominant molecular species throughout. Analysis of the light-scattering data, including stopped-flow studies, reveals an initial lag period in the reaction, followed by a second-order process that is rate limiting. The lag period depends on both protein and magnesium ion concentration. Electron microscope studies reveal intermediates in the process, and support a model of assembly in which nucleation begins at the dimer level. Theoretical models for the process are compared.