Multiple Haemoglobins

Temperature-induced changes in the oxygen equilibrium curve of the blood of the brown bullhead, Ictalurus nebulosus

“…Seasonal alteration of one or several of these factors could bring about adjustment of the loading and unloading properties of the blood. In addition, multiple hemoglobin systems are common throughout the vertebrates (Gratzer & Allison, 1960) and are known to be at least partly responsible for ontogenetic changes in oxygen equilibrium curves (Manwell, 1960). Modification of the pattern of hemoglobin heterogeneity would seem to provide an ideal mechanism for seasonal adjustments of oxygen affinity.…”

Disproportional synthesis of the adult duck's two hemoglobins during acute anemia

“…Avian hemoglobins are examples of the former in which two or more genetic loci seem to be operating simultaneously. Primates, cattle, sheep, and goats have the latter (1). Certain examples of apparent hemoglobin heterogeneity in mammals actually represent the degradative development of an altered hemoglobin during erythrocyte aging in vivo (37)(38)(39).…”

“…The erythrocytes of man and various other animals contain two or more physicochemically distinct hemoglobins (1), the relative proportions of which are presumably under genetic control (2). The ability to induce changes in relative proportions of hemoglobins, or proportions within any species of protein, would carry conceptual and practical significance.…”

Comparative Biology: Animal Models of Human Hematologic Disease: A Review

“…Hemoglobinopathies have been documented in no species other than man; nevertheless, multiple and polymorphic hemoglobins have been well identified in most domestic and in many wild animals [65,78,96,101,142]. Several features of the phenomena of quantitative control of hemoglobin synthesis have been studied in mammals [20,79,81,159].…”