Biomaterial Database

Distance between metal-binding sites in transferrin: energy transfer from bound terbium (III) to iron (III) or manganese (III). 1981

P O'Hara, and S M Yeh, and C F Meares, and R Bersohn

The distance between the two metal-binding sites of human serum transferrin has been studied by observing energy transfer between an excited terbium ion bound at one site and a ferric (or manganic) ion bound at the other site of the same transferrin molecule. From the observed reduction in terbium lifetime (relative to that of terbium transferrin), it is concluded that the intersite distance is 3.55 +/ 0.45 nm. This distance is reconciled with two conflicting earlier reports that the separation between sites is greater than 4.3 nm [Luk, C.K. (1971) Biochemistry 10,2838-2844] or is equal to 2.5 +/ 0.2 nm [Meares, C.F., & Ledbetter, J.E. (1977) Biochemistry 16, 5178-5180]. The difficulty of accurately measuring the quantum yield of protein-bound terbium provides the principal source of uncertainty in these measurements.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007501	Iron	A metallic element with atomic symbol Fe, atomic number 26, and atomic weight 55.85. It is an essential constituent of HEMOGLOBINS; CYTOCHROMES; and IRON-BINDING PROTEINS. It plays a role in cellular redox reactions and in the transport of OXYGEN.	Iron-56,Iron 56
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008345	Manganese	A trace element with atomic symbol Mn, atomic number 25, and atomic weight 54.94. It is concentrated in cell mitochondria, mostly in the pituitary gland, liver, pancreas, kidney, and bone, influences the synthesis of mucopolysaccharides, stimulates hepatic synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids, and is a cofactor in many enzymes, including arginase and alkaline phosphatase in the liver. (From AMA Drug Evaluations Annual 1992, p2035)
D008433	Mathematics	The deductive study of shape, quantity, and dependence. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Mathematic
D011485	Protein Binding	The process in which substances, either endogenous or exogenous, bind to proteins, peptides, enzymes, protein precursors, or allied compounds. Specific protein-binding measures are often used as assays in diagnostic assessments.	Plasma Protein Binding Capacity,Binding, Protein
D011487	Protein Conformation	The characteristic 3-dimensional shape of a protein, including the secondary, supersecondary (motifs), tertiary (domains) and quaternary structure of the peptide chain. PROTEIN STRUCTURE, QUATERNARY describes the conformation assumed by multimeric proteins (aggregates of more than one polypeptide chain).	Conformation, Protein,Conformations, Protein,Protein Conformations
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001665	Binding Sites	The parts of a macromolecule that directly participate in its specific combination with another molecule.	Combining Site,Binding Site,Combining Sites,Site, Binding,Site, Combining,Sites, Binding,Sites, Combining
D013050	Spectrometry, Fluorescence	Measurement of the intensity and quality of fluorescence.	Fluorescence Spectrophotometry,Fluorescence Spectroscopy,Spectrofluorometry,Fluorescence Spectrometry,Spectrophotometry, Fluorescence,Spectroscopy, Fluorescence
D013725	Terbium	An element of the rare earth family of metals. It has the atomic symbol Tb, atomic number 65, and atomic weight 158.92.