Electron Microscope Examination of Myoglobin

Abstract

THE structure of myoglobin has been examined by means of X-ray analysis; I have now made an electron microscopical investigation of this protein. There was, however, a special reason why I have embarked on this work. Some authors report that they have occasionally encountered annular structures on electron micrographs of larger globular proteins^1–4. These findings, at least in the case of hæmoglobin, do not agree with those of X-ray analysis. According to X-ray investigations the hæmoglobin molecules should be represented on electron micrographs as nearly circular-shaped dots. The same holds also for myoglobin, so I thought it should be of some interest to find out whether annular structures are also found on electron micrographs of a comparatively small protein, such as myoglobin, which consists only of one Svedberg unit.