Question

What do you mean by Haemoglobin?

Answer 1

Haemoglobin is a protein that conveys oxygen in our blood; it is located in a red blood cell which provides red colour to our blood. Iron is an essential element for blood production hence about seventy percent of the body’s iron is present in haemoglobin.

Complete answer:
Red blood cells (RBCs), also termed as erythrocytes, are significant cells that create the majority of the blood size. They are enucleated and disc-shaped to make a vital function of carrying oxygen. This function is accomplished because of haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is a special protein found in RBC which functions to transport oxygen.

Haemoglobin is an iron-containing protein involved in oxygen transport. It is also spelled as haemoglobin. In an oxygenated state, it is called oxyhaemoglobin and haemoglobin without oxygen is deoxyhemoglobin. Haemoglobin has a stronger affinity for carbon-monoxide and forms carboxyhemoglobin. Thus the presence of carbon-monoxide binds to it, leading to death of the individual.

Carbaminohaemoglobin is haemoglobin with carbon-dioxide. Haemoglobin consists of haeme and globin. Haeme contains iron and protoporphyrin. Globin is the protein component. Globin is water soluble protein, and forms colloids in water.

It takes four iron grains and therefore four positions to combine to oxygen. Thus, each haemoglobin can bind to four oxygen molecules. Haemoglobin is structurally made of four haeme groups that surround globin protein. It has a tertiary structure.

Note: Haeme is synthesized in the mitochondria and cytosol of immature RBC. The globin protein is synthesized in the ribosome. The subunits present in haemoglobin are α and β subunits.