Structural basis for genetic heterogeneity in haemoglobins of adult and new-born ruminants

Abstract

1.1. A detailed survey of blood samples of buffalo, bovine, sheep and goat shows a divergent pattern of genetic heterogeneity in haemoglobins of these species. While buffalo haemoglobins exhibit monomorphism with two component haemoglobins, bovine and sheep haemoglobins are found to be polymorphic. The goat haemoglobins, on the other hand, occur either as two components together or as a homogeneous component corresponding to the faster type only. Also, there was a third haemoglobin type encountered in goat. 2. 2. Structural evaluation of multiple haemoglobins from the study of relative mobilities of the polypeptide chains, as well as from peptide pattern analysis of globins and their subunits, shows that while adult and foetal haemoglobins of bovine, sheep and goat share α -chains in common within species, the genetic differences in these species seem to involve β -chain locus. In the case of buffalo haemoglobins, however, the α -chains may be under separate genetic control.