This study examines the post-translational role of peripheral propionate groups in the incorporation of the Fe-protoporphryin IX heme into nascent alpha- and beta-globin chains. Human apohemoglobin (a heme-free alpha/beta dimer) in 0.05 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7, at 20 degreesC was titrated with either CN-protohemin (native heme with two peripheral propionate groups), or CN-dimethylester hemin (a modified heme with two triethyl ester groups in place of the propionate groups). Soret spectrophotometric CN-hemin titrations confirmed that a spectral shift resulted upon binding of protohemin, but no spectral shift occurred upon binding the dimethylester derivative. Recent studies have correlated a Soret spectral shift with the preferential heme binding to the alpha subunit of apohemoglobin. The absence of a Soret wavelength shift (in conjunction with molecular modeling) presented here suggested that the modification of heme propionate groups prevented the formation of an alpha-heme/beta-globin intermediate, a requisite step in the normal assembly of functional hemoglobin. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.