The hemocyanin of the Californian black sea hare, Aplysia vaccaria Winkler.

The hemocyanin of the Californian black sea hare. Aplysia vaccaria exists in solution largely as a di-decameric protein with a molecular weight of close to 8.0 x 10(6) and a sedimentation coefficient of about 92 S. Light-scattering measurements at pH 8.0, 0.1 M Tris, 0.05 M Mg2+, 0.01 M Ca2+ gave a molecular weight of 8.0 +/- 0.6 x 10(6), and scanning transmission electron microscopic determinations (STEM) gave a slightly higher particle mass of 8.49 +/- 0.41 x 10(6) daltons. Measurements using the STEM method gave a particle mass of 4.27 +/- 0.26 x 10(6) daltons for the dissociated half-molecules or decamers. Light-scattering measurements on the dissociated monomers at pH 11.1 and in 8.0 M urea gave molecular weights of 4.74 x 10(5). Sedimentation measurements in the presence of 0.01 M Mg2+ indicate that the hemocyanin of A. vaccaria is largely in the di-decameric form in the pH region from about 5.0 to 8.0. Above pH 8.0 the hemocyanin di-decamers are found to dissociate to half-molecules or decamers, followed by dissociation to dimers and monomers as the pH is increased above pH 9.0.