HEMOGLOBINS OF ARTEMIA-SALINA .3. CHARACTERIZATION

Three brine shrimp Hb (Hb-1, Hb-2 and Hb-3) have the same sedimentation coefficient (S20,w = 11.3S). The 3 native molecules have MW of 230, 000 and are stable at ionic strength 0.04-2.04 and pH 7.5-9.8. At pH 5.6 and below and at pH 11.4 and above, the 3 native molecules (11.3S) dissociate into smaller species (6.8S and 3-4S). In polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate SDS), Hb-1, Hb-2, and Hb-3 dissociate into monomers of approximately the same size. The MW of the subunits is 19,000, determined by Fe content of Hb-2 and Hb-3; each native molecule consists of 12 monomers of 19,000 MW. The amino acid compositions of the 3 HB are similar to that of the HB of a conchostracan crustacean (Cyzicus).