An expanded two-state allosteric model for interactions of human hemoglobin A with nonsaturating concentrations of...

Oxygen binding curves (OEC) for red cell suspensions have a biphasic shape and reduced n50 values when the concentration of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) is lowered by aging or experimental procedures. The mechanism for the abnormal shape of the OEC has been related to variations in the activity of free DPG. DPG binds to tetrameric Hb at a single site, and in red cells its normal concentration is equivalent to that of tetrameric Hb. This equivalence renders the oxygen affinity of Hb and the shape of the OEC very sensitive to small changes in the activity of DPG. The OEC for stripped Hb solutions in the presence of nonsaturating concentrations of DPG also exhibit a biphasic shape but with much larger changes in the n values than observed for red cells. Upon addition of chloride, a known competitor of DPG binding to Hb, the shape of the OEC becomes similar to that of red cell suspensions with the same DPG/Hb ratio. Studies on Hb solutions in the presence of varying concentrations of DPG, but without chloride, have revealed that the cofactor shifts the entire OEC to the right, including both its upper and lower asymptotes. This finding indicates that DPG lowers the intrinsic oxygen affinity for both the T and R states. Theoretical considerations leading to a successful modeling of OEC obtained under varying conditions of DPG and chloride require an expanded two-state allosteric model in which allowance is made for DPG-dependent variations in the dissociation constants of oxygen for both the T and R conformations.