The combination of carbon monoxide-haem with apoperoxidase.

1. Static titrations reveal an exact stoicheiometry between various haem derivatives and apoperoxidase prepared from one isoenzyme of the horseradish enzyme. 2. Carbon monoxide-protohaem reacts rapidly with apoperoxidase and the kinetics can be accounted for by a mechanism already applied to the reaction of carbon monoxide-haem derivatives with apomyoglobin and apohaemoglobin. 3. According to this mechanism a complex is formed first whose combination and dissociation velocity constants are 5x10(8)m(-1)sec.(-1) and 10(3)sec.(-1) at pH9.1 and 20 degrees . The complex is converted into carbon monoxide-haemoprotein in a first-order process with a rate constant of 235sec.(-1) for peroxidase and 364sec.(-1) for myoglobin at pH9.1 and 20 degrees . 4. The effects of pH and temperature were examined. The activation energy for the process of complex-isomerization is about 13kcal./mole. 5. The similarity in the kinetics of the reactions of carbon monoxide-haem with apoperoxidase and with apomyoglobin suggests structural similarities at the haem-binding sites of the two proteins.