Abstract
AMONG extant forms of primitive fishes which separated early from the phyletic stock of living vertebrates, the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, holds a central position. Although 68 coelacanths have been caught since 1938 very little is known about their physiology and biochemistry. The recent French-British-American expedition to the Comoros captured two Latimeria from which we received refrigerated samples of whole blood and packed red cells. Here we describe the respiratory properties of the whole blood and purified haemoglobin and compare these with those of other fishes and tetrapod vertebrates; we also discuss some novel functional properties of Latimeria haemoglobin.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Niesel, W., and Thews, G., Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol., 273, 380 (1961).
Sick, H., and Gersonde, K., European J. Biochem., 7, 273 (1969).
Cameron, J., Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 40 A, 743 (1971).
Howell, B. J., Baumgardner, F. W., Bondi, K., and Rahn, H., Amer. J. Physiol., 218, 600 (1970).
Millot, J., Sci. Amer., 34, 831 (1955).
Sullivan, B., and Riggs, A., in Respiration and Circulation (edit. by Altman, P. L., and Dittmer, D. S.), 192 (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Bethesda, 1971).
Riggs, A., in Physiology of Fishes (edit. by Hoar, W. S., and Randall, D. J.), 4, 209 (Academic Press, New York, 1970).
Manwell, C., Science, 128, 419 (1958).
Rossi-Fanelli, A., and Antonini, E., Nature, 188, 895 (1960).
Tan, A. L., De Young, A., and Noble, R. W., J. Biol. Chem., 247, 2493 (1972).
Manwell, C., in Biology of the Myxine (edit. by Brodal, A., and Fänge, R.) (Oslo University Press, Oslo, 1963).
Benesch, R., and Benesch, R. E., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 26, 162 (1967).
Chanutin, A., and Curnish, R., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 121, 96 (1967).
Benesch, R., and Benesch, R. E., Nature, 221, 618 (1969).
Wood, S. C., Respir. Physiol., 12, 53 (1971).
Gillen, R. G., and Riggs, A., Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 38 B, 585 (1971).
Wood, S. C., and Johansen, K., Nature, 237, 278 (1972).
Benesch, R. E., and Benesch, R., Fed. Proc., 29, 1101 (1970).
Johansen, K., Lenfant, C., and Hanson, D., Comp. Biochem. Physiol. (in the press).
Rapoport, S., and Guest, G. M., J. Biol. Chem., 138, 269 (1941).
Benesch, R. E., Benesch, R., and Yu, C. I., Biochemistry, 8, 2567 (1969).
Wald, G., in Modern Trends in Physiology and Biochemistry (edit. by Baron, E. S. G.) (Academic Press, New York, 1952).
Krogh, A., and Leitch, I., J. Physiol., 52, 288 (1919).
Johansen, K., and Lenfant, C., in Oxygen Affinity of Haemoglobin and Red Cell Acid-Base Status (Munksgaard, Copenhagen, 1972).
Ingram, V., Nature, 189, 704 (1961).
Lenfant, C., and Johansen, K., Respir. Physiol., 1, 13 (1966).
Weber, R. E., Bol, J. F., Wood, S. C., and Johansen, K., Arch. Biochem. Biophys (in the press).
Altland, P. D., in Respiration and Circulation (edit. by Altman, P. L., and Dittmer, D. S.), 153 (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Bethesda, 1971).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WOOD, S., JOHANSEN, K. & WEBER, R. Haemoglobin of the Coelacanth. Nature 239, 283–285 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/239283a0
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/239283a0
This article is cited by
-
Buoyancy and hydrostatic balance in a West Indian Ocean coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae
BMC Biology (2022)
-
Urea and chloride sensitivities of coelacanth hemoglobin
Environmental Biology of Fishes (1991)
-
Bibliography of the living coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae, with comments on publication trends
Environmental Biology of Fishes (1991)
-
Habitat requirements of the living coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae at grande comore, Indian Ocean
Naturwissenschaften (1988)
-
Oxygenation properties of haemoglobins from the flatfish plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and flounder (Platichthys flesus)
Journal of comparative physiology (1975)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
