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BC-101
ASSUMPTIONS
Explanation:
ML
[ ML ]
[M][L]
[Fe(H2O)6]3+
[Fe(H2O)6]3+
Cytochromes
All cytochromes contain iron, and the iron atom in all
cytochromes is coordinated by a planar array of four
nitrogen atoms provided by a cyclic tetradentate ligand
called a porphyrin. The ironporphyrin unit is called
a heme group. The structures of a typical porphyrin
(protoporphyrin IX) and its iron complex (protoheme)
are shown here. In addition to the four nitrogen atoms
of the porphyrin, the iron in a cytochrome is usually
bonded to two additional ligands provided by the
protein,
Cytochromes
In a cytochrome c, the heme
iron is coordinated to the
nitrogen atom of a histidine
imidazole and the sulfur atom
of a methionine thioether, in
addition to the four nitrogen
atoms provided by the
porphyrin.
Although CO has a much greater affinity for a ferrous heme than does
O2 (by a factor of about 25,000), the affinity of CO for
deoxyhemoglobin is only about 200 times greater than that of O2,
which suggests that something in the protein is decreasing its affinity
for CO by a factor of about 100. Both CO and NO bind to ferrous
hemes in a linear fashion, with an FeC(N)O angle of about 180, and
the difference in the preferred geometry of O2 and CO provides a
plausible explanation for the difference in affinities.