Evidence for rotational contribution to protein-facilitated proton transport

Two modes of molecular motion of carrier molecules can, in principle, lead to a facilitated transport of a substrate: translational and rotational diffusion. In the present study, which deals with the mechanism of the facilitated diffusion of H+ and O2 in solutions of earthworm hemoglobin, examples for both types of facilitation are presented. Only translational, not rotational, diffusion of earthworm hemoglobin appears to lead to a facilitated O2 flux. In contrast, substantial facilitated H+ fluxes of comparable size arise from rotational diffusion as well as from translational diffusion of this large protein. This is derived from measurements of facilitated H+ and O2 fluxes in earthworm hemoglobin solutions and determinations of the rotational and translational diffusion coefficients of earthworm hemoglobin with the help of a theoretical treatment of facilitated diffusion by rotational carrier diffusion. H+ transport by rotational protein diffusion appears to be a case where the often-postulated mechanism of facilitated transport by rotation of a carrier lends itself to experimental verification.