[The interaction between phosphate and protein, and the respiration of the llama, the human fetus and the horse (author's transl)].

The sequence analysis of llama (Lama glama, Camelidae) hemoglobin is described. The chains were separated, cleaved by trypsin as previously described, quantitatively characterized and sequenced in the sequenator. The llama hemoglobin differs from the human hemoglobin in that it has 25 different amino acids in the alpha chain and 24 different amino acids in the beta chain. The interaction between protein and phosphate is discussed. The earlier finding that the O2 affinity of the llama hemoglobin is dependent on its content of 2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate is interpreted here as a mutation of the 2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate contact position beta2 His in human hemoglobin to beta2 Asn in llama hemoglobin, whereby one of the four 2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate contact points is interrupted. This interruption gives rise to a diminished reduction of intrinsic oxygen affinity in the hemoglobin molecule and explains, on a molecular basis, the increased oxygen affinity of the llama hemoglobin, and consequently, the high-altitude respiration of the llama. By analogy, the increased O2 affinity of human fetal hemoglobin is interpreted according to previous physiological investigations on blood and fetal hemoglobin by the inactivation of the phosphoglycerate contact point beta143 His in the adult hemoglobin by mutation to gamma 143 Ser in the fetal hemoglobin. With respect to respiration in horses (2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate contact beta2 Gln), measurement of atomic parameters show that the amido group of the glutamine is situated close enough to the 2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate oxygen to build a hydrogen bond with the phosphate. Consequently, the explanation of the low-altitude respiration of the horse lies in the fact that glutamine and histidine fulfill sterochemically an identical function.