Sunday, 18 January 2015

Haemoglobin Structure ( 2 alpha chains & 2 beta chains )

Diagrammatic representation of the structure of hemoglobin
Haemoglobin ( Hb ) combines with oxygen( O2 ) to form oxyhaemoglobin ( HbO2 ) .Each haemoglobin will bind with four oxygen molocules . Each oxygen binds to a haem group of one polypeptide chain ( alpha / beta polypeptide chain ) in haemoglobin . Binding the first oxygen is difficult . After binding the first oxygen to a haemoglobin , haemoglobin undergoes conformational change . Binding the second and third oxygen is easier .Binding the fourth oxygen is more difficult due to distorted shape of the molecule .

No comments:

Post a Comment