The crystal structure of oxy hemoglobin from high oxygen affinity bird emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

Hemoglobin is an honorary enzyme, a two-way respiratory carrier, transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and facilitating the return transport of carbon dioxide. Hemoglobin has high affinity for oxygen and low affinity for carbon dioxide and other substances in the arterial circulation, whereas in the venous circulation these relative affinities are upturned. The oxygen affinity of hemoglobin increases with the fall in temperature and decreases with the increase in pH and 2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate; point mutations also affect the tetrameric arrangement and alter the oxygen affinity. Though several studies have revealed the specific reasons for the adaptation of increased oxygen affinity of avian hemoglobins at high-altitudes, further structural insights on hemoglobins from high oxygen affinity species are required to understand the detailed oxygen adaptation at the molecular level. Herein, we describe the structural investigation of hemoglobin from emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), a high oxygen affinity bird. Hemoglobin from emu was purified using anion-exchange chromatography, crystallized and determined the structure in the oxy form at a resolution of 2.3 Å; the R-factor of the model was 19.2%. The structure was compared with other oxy hemoglobins of high oxygen affinity avian species; significant changes are noted at intra-subunit contacts which provide the clues for increased oxygen affinity of emu hemoglobin.