Allan Cormack’ & Godfrey Hounsfield’, “Computed Tomography”, NOBEL PRIZE LECTURES, 8 December 1978 was the topic of an earlier blog post.
Here I present: Max Perutz, “X-ray Analysis of Haemoglobin”; and, John Kendrew, “Myoglobin and the Structure of Proteins”, NOBEL PRIZE CHEMISTY, 11 December 1962.
Hemoglobin is a protein normally in the blood at concentrations of 12-20 grams per deciliter. The erythrocyte (red blood cell, RBC) are one of the 211 cell types in a human body. The RBC cytoplasm dry-weight is 90% hemoglobin.
For “cellular combustion” of metabolites, oxygen is transported from the lungs by hemoglobin.
The “molecular model” ATOP is of the heme of hemoglobin that binds the gases (oxygen or carbon dioxide). In the muscle, the protein myoglobin is the oxygen carrier (shown ABOVE).
SUMMARY.
Max Perutx & John Kendrew on 11 December 1962 gave NOBEL PRIZE LECTURES on oxygen carrier proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin.
Chemistry of this era was very limited for protein study; and, the protein methodology is dated by today’s standards.
However, Biochemistry’ made a historic step in determining the roles of oxygen carrier proteins hemoglobin’ and myoglobin.
