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Haemoglobin

I'm seeing a mix of videos half saying all 4 oxygen molecules can bind to haemoglobin achieving 100% saturation, and then others saying that once it's 3/4 saturated its hard for the fourth to associate with the last haem group so haemoglobin can never achieve 100% saturation, which one is right?
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h3rmit
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Original post by uchihaitachi0023
I'm seeing a mix of videos half saying all 4 oxygen molecules can bind to haemoglobin achieving 100% saturation, and then others saying that once it's 3/4 saturated its hard for the fourth to associate with the last haem group so haemoglobin can never achieve 100% saturation, which one is right?


The third oxygen binding makes it harder for the 4th oxygen to bind to Hb due to the conformational change it induces, but not impossible, so you can get some Hb's achieving 100% saturation in places with high oxygen partial pressures, like the lungs. Unlike the fourth though, he third and second oxygens are easier to bind to Hb.

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