Biochemistry 6th Edition by Reginald Garrett,Charles Grisham

Exercise 16

Table 5.4 presents some of the many known mutations in the genes encoding the ? - and ? -globin subunits of hemoglobin.
a. Some of these mutations affect subunit interactions between the subunits. In an examination of the tertiary structure of globin chains, where would you expect to find amino acid changes in mutant globins that affect formation of the hemoglobin ? 2 ? 2 quaternary structure?
b. Other mutations, such as the S form of the ? -globin chain, increase the tendency of hemoglobin tetramers to polymerize into very large structures. Where might you expect the amino acid substitutions to be in these mutants?