Question

Which among the following is the most abundant protein in the animal world?
(a) Collagen
(b) Haemoglobin
(c) Trypsin
(d) Insulin

Answer 1

Hint: This is a protein found in the red blood cells that carry oxygen in your body and gives blood its red colour. These protein levels vary from person to person.

Complete step by step answer:
Haemoglobin is a respiratory pigment and most abundant protein found in animals. The haemoglobin present in the RBC combines with oxygen to form oxyhaemoglobin and transports the oxygen to a different part of the tissue. On reaching the tissues the bond between the oxygen and haemoglobin breaks and it releases oxygen. One haemoglobin molecule binds to four oxygen molecules. Some of the oxygen is transported by the plasma in dissolved form.
- The haemoglobin consists of two alpha chains and two beta chains.
- The alpha thalassemia is found to be caused due to the deletion of the HBA 1 or HBA 2 genes.
- Thalassemia is a type of blood disorder that mainly occurs due to the less number of haemoglobin molecules in the blood.
- The main cause is due to the decrease in the number of the alpha chains the number of haemoglobin molecules decreases resulting in the blood disorder and it is also inheritable in nature that is transferred from one generation to another.
- The thalassemia may also result in the production of the unstable beta- globin chains that in turn affect the red blood cells and cause defects in them.
- They are mainly caused due to the deletion of chromosome number 16 and is recessive inheritable disorder.

So, the correct answer is, ‘(d) Haemoglobin.’

Note: Haemoglobin is heterotetrameric with two alpha and beta chains oxygen transfer protein found in red blood cells. Each subunit of Haemoglobin tetramer has a heme prosthetic group identical to that of myoglobin. Myoglobin is a monomeric protein found mainly in muscle tissue where it serves as an intracellular storage site for oxygen. Each myoglobin molecule contains a single heme group inserted into the hydrophobic cleft in the protein.