The differences between the oxygenated and deoxygenated states of hemoglobin
Erythrocytes of the blood act as carriers of hemoglobin; a four unit protein that through binding process with oxygen molecules, thereby forming oxyhemoglobin, transports oxygen to various part of an animal’s body. Oxygenated and deoxygenated states of hemoglobin have different quaternary structure. The disparity in quaternary structures of these two kinds of hemoglobin is attributed to the binding of oxygen with hemoglobin. The beta chains in oxygenated hemoglobin are much closer to each other compared to the ones in the deoxygenated hemoglobin (Campbell &Farrell, 2009). In the same light, the quaternary structure is affected by the hemoglobin’s ...
