Answer with detailed explanation: (biochem) 1. The crocodile, which can remain u

Question

Answer with detailed explanation: (biochem)

1. The crocodile, which can remain under water without breathing for up to 1 hour, drowns its air-breathing prey and then dines at its leisure. An adaptation of hemoglobin (Hb), in which the bicarbonate can bind the deoxygenated form, aids the crocodile's grisly endeavor by allowing extraction of ~100% of the 02 in its blood (humans can only extract ~65% of oxygen in the blood). How does the ability of deoxy-Hb to bind bicarbonate help the crocodile obtain its dinner? As part of your answer, sketch several vs. P02 binding curves at increasing [HCO]

Explanation / Answer

Hb(4O2) (4O2) + deoxyHB deoxyHB-CO3 -

When crocodile has its prey under water, it clamps it's jaws tightly onto the prey. This consumed a lot of oxygen which in turn produces lot of carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide produces bicarbonate ions and protons (H+). H+ is an allosteric inhibitor that binds the deoxy or T state of the hemoglobin shifting the equilibrium from R state to T state. This is called as Bohr effect.

In crocodile, the bicarbonate ions also bind to the deoxy or T state. Thus the binding of H+ and bicarbonate ions to the deoxy state lowers the haemoglobin affinity for oxygen and thus the oxygen is completely unloaded from hemoglobin and utilised.

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