Summary
The four main hemoglobin components of the hemolysate of Pterygoplichthys pardalis have been isolated and characterized. The functional properties investigated for the isolated components comprise the effect of pH and ATP on (i) the O2 equilibrium, (ii) the O2 dissociation kinetics, (iii) the CO combination kinetics. Component I, corresponding to approximately 50% of the total hemoglobin, is characterized by functional properties which are distinctly different from those of Components II, III and IV, which are alike. Thus it is shown, once more, that multiple components in an hemolysate fall into categories of hemoglobins characterized by distinct and complementary functional properties.