The interaction of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (P,-inositol) with human hemoglobin has been studied as a function of pH using pH-stat techniques and 31P NMR. With the pH-stat method the following data were obtained: the association constants for the P,-inositolldeoxyhemoglobin and P,-inositol/carboxyhemoglobin complexes at alkaline and acid pH respectively and the proton absorption curves associated with the protein/phosphate interaction for both complexes from pH 5.5 to pH 9. From these data the affinities of P,-inositol towards deoxyhemoglobin (Hb) and carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) have been calculated as a function of pH. The shape of the proton absorption curves was found to be strongly dependent on the ligation state of the hemoglobin molecule.The pH dependence of the 31P N M R spectra of P,-inositol bound to Hb or HbCO provides a monitor for the proton-binding behaviour of the phosphate groups of P,-inositol when present in the central cavity of the protein. It appears that this behaviour is only slightly dependent on the ligation state of the hemoglobin molecule. The NMR spectral data were interpreted in terms of a model which takes into account the electrostatic interaction between the phosphate groups within the P,-inositol molecule as well as the electrostatic interaction between the phosphate groups and positively charged groups on the protein.To account for the discrepancy between the pH-stat and 31P N M R results, i.e. a strong dependence of the protonabsorption curves and a weak dependence of the proton-binding behaviour of P,-inositol on the ligation state of the protein respectively, it is proposed that a conformational change takes place in HbCO upon P,-inositol binding. Arnone and Perutz [S] showed that in deoxyhemoglobin P,-inositol binds to a cluster of eight positively charged residues located at the 8-chain side of the central cavity. Their analysis was confirmed by studies on the binding of P,-inositol to mutant hemoglobins. It was shown that the strength of binding depends on replacements of these residues [9-1 I]. At moderate ionic strength P,-inositol forms a tight 1 : 1 complex with deoxyhemoglobin. The association constant was found to be 1.6 x IO'M-l at pH7.3 in 0.1 M NaCl [12].Recent experiments showed that the binding site for polyphosphate molecules in ligated hemoglobin is also located at the entrance of the central cavity [I 3 -151. The stoichiometry of binding was found to be unity [13]. From oxygenation experiments [I 61 the affinity of P,-inositol towards ligated hemoglobin is known to be low at neutral pH.The proton-binding behaviour of P,-inositol free in solution was studied in detail in a previous paper [17]. It was shown that P,-inositol bears a 12-fold negative charge above pH 11 while all phosphate groups display an anomalous proton-binding behaviour below that pH. As was demonAbbreviations. P,-inositol, nzyo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexisphosphate; Hb, deoxyhemoglobin; HbCO, carboxyhemoglobin; 3 1 P NMK, phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. strated, this anom...