Tissue haemoglobins from the gastropod molluscs lunatia heros say and busycon canaliculatum L.

Abstract

1. 1. Busycon canaliculatum nerve haemoglobin and heart and radular muscle myoglobins have the same or very similar molecular weights (about 32,000) and absorption spectra; the corresponding globins have identical electrophoretic mobilities in 8 M urea. 2. 2. The native Busycon canaliculatum haemoglobins are dimeric and are cleaved to monomeric subunits by reaction p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. 3. 3. Lunatia heros nerve haemoglobin and radular muscle myoglobin have the same or very similar molecular weights (about 15,000) and absorption spectra, and identical electrophoretic mobilities. 4. 4. It is probable that Busycon canaliculatum and Lunatia heros possess only a single speciesspecific type of haemoglobin in their tissues.