Light-scattering investigation of the subunit structure and dissociation of Helix pomatia hemocyanin. Effects of salts and ureas.

The effects of various salts of the Hofmeister and aliphatic acid salt series and hydrophobic reagents of the urea series on the subunit structure and the dissociation of Helix pomatia alpha-hemocyanin were investigated by employing light-scattering molecular weight methods. In moderate ranges of salt concentrations [0-1.0 M NaClO4, NaSCN, NaI, and guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) and 0-2.0 M NaBr], the dissociation reaction is essentially a two-step process characterized by the dissociation of whole hemocyanin molecules dissociating to half-molecules of decamers followed by the dissociation of the half-molecules to five dimeric fragments. The effectiveness of the salts and relative ineffectiveness of the ureas and GdmCl as dissociating agents in the first step of the dissociation reaction suggest that the stabilization of the contact areas between half-molecules in solution is largely a nonhydrophobic energy process involving polar and ionic interactions. Hydrophobic forces appear to be important, however, for stabilization of the half-molecules through side to side contacts of the five dimeric units that make up each half-molecule. The analysis of our dissociation data by use of equations derived in our previous studies [Herskovits, T. T., & Harrington, J.P. (1975) Biochemistry 14, 4964-4971] gave apparent estimates of amino acid groups of about 60-150 for each of the contact areas between the cylindrically shaped half-molecules and 30-60 for each of the dimers in the half-molecules themselves.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)