Red cell organic phosphates and Bohr effects in house sparrow blood

CO2 and fixed acid Bohr effects (d log PO2/d pH) were determined for fresh whole blood of adult house sparrow (Passer domesticus) at 35, 41 and 45 degrees C. At each temperature, the effects of titrating blood with CO2 at constant base excess (CO2 Bohr effect) were similar at P50 (35 degrees, -0.48; 41 degrees, -0.49; 45 degrees, -0.49). The CO2 Bohr slopes were also reasonably saturation independent between 10 and 90% S. Fixed acid Bohr values, determined by titrating sparrow blood with HCl and NaHCO3 at 4% CO2, were significantly less than the corresponding CO2 coefficients at half saturation (35 degrees, -0.43; 41 degrees, -0.39; 45 degrees, -0.41). The difference between CO2 and H+ Bohr effects, assumed here to represent carbamino CO2 binding to hemoglobin, decreased in magnitude with increasing saturation at each temperature. Inositol pentaphosphate (IPP, 3.1 mumol/ml RBC) and ATP (7.7 mumol/ml RBC) were the major organic phosphates present in Passer erythrocytes. CO2 and organic phosphates are known to complete for common binding sites on the Hb molecule. Because of IPP's strong binding affinity and high concentration in most avian red cells, carbamate formation is generally suppressed in bird blood. The presence of a small but significant specific CO2 effect in Passer blood may indicate that one or both sparrow isohemoglobins has reduced affinity for IPP and/or ATP, permitting CO2 to compete more effectively in Hb-carbamate formation.