BIOL 221 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Hemoglobin, Globin, Red Blood Cell
3 Mar 2020
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Many factors affect the ability of hemoglobin to carry oxygen and therefore its saturation. Anything that affects the shape of hemoglobin affects its ability to carry oxygen. Among these factors are the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide, the presence of diphosphoglycerate (dpg), the ph and temperature. These factors shift the saturation curve to the right (decreased affinity; decreased saturation at any given po2; easier release of oxygen) or the left (increased affinity; increased saturation at any given po2; decreased release of oxygen). Levels of these factors that shift the saturation curve to the right are associated with increased metabolism. Levels that shift the saturation curve to the left are associated with conditions in the lungs. Recall that oxygen binds cooperatively with hemoglobin. Binding of each additional oxygen molecule makes it easier to bind the next until the hemoglobin is saturated.
