Arctic adaptation in reindeer The energy saving of a hemoglobin

AbstractPrevious results [(1988) Arct. Med. Res. 47, 83–88] have shown that hemoglobin from reindeer is characterized by a low overall heat of oxygenation. This particular aspect has been investigated further in a series of precise oxygen equilibrium experiments. The results obtained show a peculiar dependence of the temperature effect on the fractional saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen, which could be regarded as a very interesting case of molecular adaptation to extreme environmental conditions