IDENTIFICATION OF RESIDUES RESPONSIBLE FOR ALKALINE BOHR EFFECT IN HAEMOGLOBIN

The imidazole groups of the C-terminal histidines of the β-chains, together with the α-amino groups of the α-chains, are responsible for most of the Bohr effect. In oxyhaemoglobin these groups are free, while in deoxyhaemoglobin their pKs are raised, probably by linkage to carboxyl groups. © 1969 Nature Publishing Group.