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chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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Posted by minnes 8a (My Page) on Tue, Aug 3, 04 at 17:48
| Chlorophyl and hemoglobin have a similar chemical structure. Does anyone have infromaion on what is known about this similarity? Do other biological substances share this form - in other words, is this just a generally common molecular structure? Or is there some relationship between the two? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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| "Chlorophyl and hemoglobin have a similar chemical structure. " Interesting but how so ??? I don't see them being similar ... hemoglobin is a complex protein ... Chlorophyll is a much smaller molecule NOT a protein ... does not look like hemoglobin to me ??? Then again chlorophyll does associate with many proteins ... Are you refering to the functional groups of both molecules ?? Please excuse me ... I have not looked at hemoglobin in a lonnnnng time ... I do see a metal (Fe) bonded to Nitrogens ... in Clorophyl there are Mg's bonded to Nitrogen. Can you expand / elaborate on what is similar between the two molecules ?? There functions are a bit different... at least from what I see. Good Day .... |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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I agree with Mohave ; I dont see the similarity in the structure. Except that they both are composed of a ring containing a metal (Fe in hemoglobin and Mg in Chlorophyll). They have very different functions too.
Can you explain what you mean with similarities? |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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| I think maybe that is what minnes was getting at. Both plants have to use metal irons to do specific work. In biochemistry organometallic compounds in enzymes and other proteins are incredibly common. There is even a organometallic group called zinc fingers. The site linked below shows lots of images of proteins. Note the many type of organometallic protein families like cobalt proteins, copper chaperones, iron proteins (like hemaglobin), manganese proteins and even magnesium proteins (like chlorophyl). Gardenweb can't handle the .edu and non-html of the link so I'll just attach the address. http://www.siu.edu/departments/biochem/chime_rasmol/ |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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| Or make it do this to be easier to use. ;o) |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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| The chlorophyl molecule and the hermogloben molecule are almost identical in shape and make up of atoms and how they are combined. However, hermogloben has IRON as the center atom whereas chlorophyl has magnesium. Obviously, the functions and the hosts (their connected networks) are completely different. It just show, however, that hemogloben (red blood cells) and photosynthesis material (green plant cells) may have at one time been similar micro organisms and that each has developed into seperate functions over millions of years.
The real conclusion - really - is that we are probably closer related to all kinds of life forms than we may think. |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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Chlorophyll and Heme both contain a porphyrin ring structure, but 3 or 4 of the side chains are different, and the metal involved is different (magnesium vs. Iron)
Hemoglobin contains four cross-linked protein chains non-covalently bound to 4 hemes. |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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| i am always bad about remembering structures, but they are not very similar at all if i remember correctly, although they are both organic. one interesting thing though is the presence of Leghemoglobin in root nodules of Fabaceae (chlorophyll made me think of plants and then hemoglobin made me think of plants that produce a hemoglobin like protein). that's a pretty interesting topic. alex |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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Here is a link that might be useful: Chlorophyll
RE: heme
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Here is a link that might be useful: Heme
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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| ya know, if u go quickly back and forth on those two links (thanks nonmember) u can see how they have a simular 'look' to them. to an artist, it looks like just a diff bunch of structures to support that N webbing of metal. i have no doubt that they have evolved differently to solve diff problems but if u sit back and 'fuzz' ur eyes... froggy |
RE: chlorophyl and hemoglobin
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I recall in "Survival to the 21-st Century" Victoras Kulvinsky (sic?) mentions that the hemin molecule and chlorophyll molecule outer rings are identical which means that it helps to build blood.
Years back before a botany final exam, I drank some wheatgrass juice (only) for breakfast. Was late for the test but felt extremely invigorated. Finished first and made an A.
kevin |
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