BIO0229 - Genética Humana (2023)

Hemoglobin molecules are present at a high concentration in red blood cells. Hemoglobin picks up oxygen in the lungs, and releases oxygen in body tissues where it is needed for the burning of food (aerobic respiration) to make chemical energy, notably ATP, required to sustain life. Hemoglobin is a protein molecule that contains heme cofactors, which in turn contain iron. Atomic structures of hemoglobins, displayed in this tutorial, have been determined by X-ray crystallography.

To review how atoms, bonds, molecules, and protein backbones are represented on a computer, please see