Studies on Human Myoglobin

Abstract

The problem whether patients with sickle cell anemia have not only a pathologic (type S) hemoglobin, but also an abnormal myoglobin, was investigated by means of spectroscopic and electrophoretic methods. Purified, hemoglobin-free met-myoglobin preparations, obtained from normal adults and from individuals with sickle cell anemia, were compared. No differences could be detected with either technic. The electrophoretic studies revealed that adult met-myoglobin moves faster in an acid than in an alkaline buffer. Regardless of the buffer used, adult met-myoglobin moves always slower than either met-hemoglobin A or S. The met-compounds of hemoglobin A and S move faster than their respective oxy-compounds in an acid medium, but slower in an alkaline medium.