Site-specific modification of hemoglobin by methyl acetyl phosphate.

Methyl acetyl phosphate, which was originally synthesized as a site-specific reagent for hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase [R. Kluger and W.-C. Tsui (1980) J. Org. Chem. 45, 2723], also has an affinity for the binding site for 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in hemoglobin. Three residues in or near this cleft between the beta-chains are acetylated by this reagent, i.e., Val-1, Lys-82, and Lys-144. There is no detectable acetylation of any of the amino groups of the alpha-chain. These results indicate the specificity of methyl acetyl phosphate in its reaction with hemoglobin.