Changes in hemoglobin function and isoform expression during embryonic development in the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis.

ABSTRACT: In the developing embryos of egg-laying vertebrates, O₂ flux takes place across a fixed surface area of the eggshell and the chorioallantoic membrane. In the case of crocodilians, the developing embryo may experience a decrease in O₂ flux when the nest becomes hypoxic, which may cause compensatory adjustments in blood O₂ transport. However, whether the switch from embryonic to adult hemoglobin isoforms (isoHbs) plays some role in these adjustments is unknown. Here, we provide a detailed characterization of the developmental switch of isoHb synthesis in the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis. We examined the in vitro functional properties and subunit composition of purified alligator isoHbs expressed during embryonic developmental stages i

SUBMITTER: Bautista NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8714809 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature