Equilibria and kinetics of oxygen and carbon monoxide binding to the haemoglobin of the teleostSynbranchus marmoratus

Abstract

1. The haemoglobins of the air-breathing fishSynbranchus marmoratus have multiple components and demonstrate polymorphism.2. The equilibrium of oxygen with whole cell and isolated haemoglobin has been compared. There is a considerable alkaline Bohr effect and this is more marked in stripped haemoglobin to which 1 mM ATP has been added.3. The kinetics of oxygen dissociation from oxyhaemoglobin and of carbon monoxide combination to deoxyhaemoglobin have been studied, and show surprisingly uniform kinetic time courses for a system composed of multiple components.4. These findings are discussed within the framework of the requirements of the animal in its mixed aerial-aquatic environment.