STRUCTURAL STUDIES ON MAMMALIAN BINDING PROTEINS & HEAT STABLE ENZYMES

血凝素是一种血清糖蛋白，它结合由 血红蛋白分解，运输，并通过以下途径传递到肝脏 特定的受体。血凝素由两个结构域组成，一个N-末端 结合血红素的结构域和必需的C-末端结构域 用于受体结合。因为氨基酸比对显示两者 域可能具有相似的结构，这使我们能够 对血红素结合域进行建模。我们有完好无损的水晶 分子，但事实证明这些分子对温度非常敏感， 在毛细血管中很难成功地安装。晶体冻结 而在SSRL使用同步辐射将是进入 任何有用的数据都可以从这些晶体中收集到。

Hemopexin is a serum glycoprotein which binds the heme released by hemoglobin breakdown, transport it, and delivers it to the liver via specific receptors. Hemopexin consists of two domains, an N-terminal domain which binds heme, and a C-terminal domain which is essential for receptor binding. Since amino acid comparisons show that both domains are likely to have similar structures, this has enable us to model the heme binding domain. We have crystals of the intact molecule, but these prove to be extremely temperature-sensitive and very difficult to mount successfully in capillaries. Crystal freezing and the use of synchrotron radiation at SSRL will be the only way in which any useful data can be collected from these crystals.