Institute of Protein Biochemistry, CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, I-80131 Naples, Italy.
J Fish Biol. 2010 Feb;76(2):301-18. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2009.02528.x.
Since haemoglobins of all animal species have the same haem group, differences in their properties, including oxygen affinity, electrophoretic mobility and pH sensitivity, must result from the interaction of the prosthetic group with specific amino-acid residues in the primary structure. For this reason, fish globins have been the subject of extensive studies in recent years, not only for their structural characteristics, but also because they offer the possibility to investigate the evolutionary history of these ancient molecules in marine and freshwater species living in a great variety of environmental conditions. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the structure, function and phylogeny of haemoglobins of notothenioid fishes. On the basis of crystallographic analysis, the evolution of the Root effect is analysed. Adaptation of the oxygen transport system in notothenioids seems to be based on evolutionary changes, involving levels of biological organization higher than the structure of haemoglobin. These include changes in the rate of haemoglobin synthesis or in regulation by allosteric effectors, which affect the amount of oxygen transported in blood. These factors are thought to be more important for short-term response to environmental challenges than previously believed.
由于所有动物物种的血红蛋白都具有相同的血红素基团，因此其性质（包括氧亲和力、电泳迁移率和 pH 敏感性）的差异一定是由于辅基与一级结构中特定氨基酸残基的相互作用所致。出于这个原因，近年来鱼类球蛋白已成为广泛研究的对象，不仅因为它们的结构特征，还因为它们提供了研究这些古老分子在海洋和淡水中生活在各种环境条件下的进化历史的可能性。这篇综述总结了关于南极鱼类血红蛋白的结构、功能和系统发育的最新知识。基于晶体学分析，对 Root 效应的进化进行了分析。似乎南极鱼的氧气运输系统的适应是基于进化变化的，涉及比血红蛋白结构更高层次的生物学组织水平。这些变化包括血红蛋白合成率的变化或变构效应物的调节变化，这会影响血液中运输的氧气量。与之前的观点相比，这些因素被认为对短期环境挑战的反应更为重要。
