BIOSC1000

Fall2012(2131)

SampleProblemsLecture6

1. Startingwiththeequilibriumexpressionforoxygenbindingtomyoglobin,derive
thefollowingequation:

=
pO2
(pO
+p

2
50)

Thereactionis:

Mb+O2MbO2

Therefore

=
[MbO2]

[MbO2]+[Mb]

ButIwantthisintermsofoxygenconcentration(pO2)andp50.IknowthatKd=p50,so
IneedtofindKd:

Kd= [Mb][O2]

[MbO2]

orrearrangetogive:

[MbO2]=[Mb][O2]

Kd

Substitutethisvaluefor[MbO2]intotheequationfor,andfactoroutthe[Mb]/K
termtoget:

=
[O2]
[O
]+K

2
d

[O2]=pO2andKd=p50

2. Thep50formyoglobinis2.8torr.Atwhatoxygenconcentrationwillmyoglobinbe
75%saturatedwithoxygen.(Hint:Usetheequationyouderivedinproblem1.)

75%saturatedcorrespondstoaof0.75.Iknowp50(2.8torr)soIwanttosolvefor
pO2when=0.75,rearrangingtheequationabove:

pO2=p50/(1-) = (0.75 x 2.8 torr)/(1-0.75) = 8.4 torr

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BIOSC1000

Fall2012(2131)

3. PepsincleavesIgGmoleculesonthecarboxylterminalsideoftheinterchain
disulfidebondsbetweenheavychains.Howmanyphysicalpieceswouldresultfrom
thecleavageofIgGfrompepsin?HowmanyofthepiecesderivefromtheFcregion
ofIgG?

ThreepiecesresultfromthecleavageofIgGbypepsin(seebelow).Onepiececontains
bothFabunits.TheothertwopiecescomefromtheFcregion.

Fab

SS

SS

SS

Pepsincleavage

Fc

4. Thestiffeningofmusclesafterdeath,rigormortis,iscausedbydepletionofcellular
ATP.Describethemolecularbasisofrigor.
Atthetimeofdeath,alargeportionofmyosinheadswillbeboundtoactin.Because
ATPisnecessarytodissociatethemyosinfromactin,theskeletalmuscleislockedin
thecontracted(rigor)stateintheabsenceofATP.

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