Tetramer-dimer dissociation of carboxyhemoglobin in the absence of dithionite

The generally accepted value for the tetramer-dimer dissociation constant KL4,2 of carboxyhemoglobin in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer lies in the range 1--2 micrometers. Previous determinations of the quantity have generally involved addition of dithionite to samples to exclude oxygen. We report flash photolysis experiments on carboxyhemoglobin in the absence of dithionite which suggest that KL4,2 is 0.2 +/- 0.05 micrometer. Addition of dithionite to our samples resulted in an order of magnitude increase in KL4,2 in good agreement with previously published results. The mechanism of this increase in dissociation has not been determined with certainty. However, impurities, possibly metal ions, are required in addition to dithionite to produce this effect. Dithionite did not increase KL4,2 for phosphate buffer solutions treated with Chelex 100 analytical grade chelating resin. Addition of bovine serum albumin to untreated buffer solutions before addition of dithionite was found to prevent increased dissociation. The sulfhydryl-reducing agents dithiothreitol and beta-mercaptoethanol were found to protect against the effect of dithionite and to reverse its effect on KL4,2 if they were added after the dithionite. The interaction of the unknown impurities with dithionite to produce increased values of KL4,2 could be mimicked by addition of CU2+ ions in concentrations of less than 1 micrometer to buffer treated with Chelex 100 resin.