Question

Hemoglobin A1 is the quaternary protein structure on a red blood cell involved in oxygen transport. Hemoglobin A1 has two α-chains and two β-chains. A blood pH change caused several bonds to break between the amino acid chain.

Which would most likely result from this change in concentration?
A.The hemoglobin will no longer carry oxygen due to a change in the shape of the protein.
B.The hemoglobin will continue to carry oxygen at the same level as the previous structure.
C.The hemoglobin will adapt to concentration changes to maintain its original shape.
D.The hemoglobin will increase its oxygen carrying capacity to restore the blood concentration levels.

Answer 1

A is the most likely outcome. Denaturation of a protein would most likely cause deleterious effects that manifest as changes in the morphology of the hemoglobin that likely would affect the active site, thus making the hemoglobin less able or completely unable to bind to any oxygen.