Human myoglobins: paradigm of structure-function relation

SCORCIAPINO, MARIANO ANDREA;CASU, MARIANO;Spiga E;CECCARELLI, MATTEO

2011-01-01

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Abstract

It is now widely accepted that myoglobin is not simply an O2 storage/delivery system but, depending on oxygen concentration, it exerts other fundamental physiological roles, as in response to hypoxia in tumor cells. In Humans the two most expressed myoglobins differ by a single aminoacid (Lysine to Glutammate). Since natives from Tibet are characterized by an overexpression of the “Glutammate” isoform, started to emerge the idea of a response to high altitude evolutionary adaptation. However, this is not yet supported by any structure/function investigation. We performed hundred nanoseconds MD simulations to investigate the structure and dynamics of Myoglobins and surface water. R. Anedda et. al. J. Phys. Chem. B, 112: 15856, 2008; M. A. Scorciapino et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131, 11825, 2009; M. A. Scorciapino et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 132, 5156-5163, 2010; M. A. Scorciapino et al., Submitted; Gussoni et al., Submitted.