The interplay between heme iron and protein sulfhydryls in the reaction of dimeric Scapharca inaequivalvis hemoglobin with nitric oxide

The homodimeric hemoglobin from the mollusk Scapharca inaequivalvis possesses a single reactive cysteine residue per monomer, Cys92, which is located in the subunit interface in the vicinity of the heme group. The interplay between the heme iron and Cys92 towards the reaction with NO has been investigated by the combined use of electrospray mass spectrometry, FTIR and UV-Visible spectroscopy. When the ferrous liganded or unliganded protein reacts with free NO in solution Cys92 is not modified, but undergoes nitrosation when the hemoglobin is exposed to the nitric oxide releaser S-nitrosocysteine. When the ferric protein reacts with free NO under anaerobic conditions the heme iron is reduced and Cys92 is nitrosated. At variance with other hemeproteins investigated to date, in Scapharca HbI the heme-iron NO driven reduction is not accompanied by the formation of a ferric iron nitrosyl intermediate in detectable amounts. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the nitrosating agent is the NO(+) species, which is generated during the NO driven reduction of the ferric heme iron. The possible reaction mechanism is discussed in comparison with recent findings on human hemoglobin and myoglobin.