"Our postulate provides an obvious explanation of the action of oxygen in preventing
the sickling of sickle-cell-anemia erythrocytes. We have visualized the sickling process
as one in which complementary sites on adjacent hemoglobin molecules combine. It was
suggested that erythrocytes containing oxyhemoglobin or carbonmonoxyhemoglobin do
not sickle because of steric hindrance of the attached oxygen or carbon monoxide molecule.
This steric hindrance effect might be the distortion of the complementary sites through
forcing apart of layers of protein, as is suggested by the isocyanide experiments." Linus Pauling. "The combining power of hemoglobin for alkyl isocyanides, and the nature of the heme-heme
interéactions in hemoglobin." Science 114 (December 1951): 629-634 December 1951.
"Dr. St. George worked in collaboration with me for one year. The results of the
work were published in a joint paper in Science, in December, 1951. I consider him to be a well-trained young man, with much native
ability, and with deep and sincere interest in biochemistry." Linus Pauling. Letter to Elmer H. Stotz. January 21, 1952.
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