Hemoglobins: Structural, Functional and Evolutionary Characterization

Dear Colleagues,

Hemoglobins (Hb) are a remarkably widespread group of proteins. They are found in all kingdoms of life and differ in both structure and functions. First discovered in the animal kingdom, they soon were purified from legume nodules, implying that these proteins were more pervasive than previously thought. The term “phytoglobin” is now used for plant hemoglobins. After the discovery of bacterial hemoglobins, the time of their origin was pushed back by several billion years. Hemoglobins’ widespread distribution and ancient origin helped to propose the “Molecular clock” theory.

In recent years, new Hb groups have been described that are very different from the best known erythrocytic Hb, which possesses truncated, pentacoordinated characteristics. Over the past couple of decades, even with well-studied organisms, e.g., those in mammals, “new” hemoglobins have been discovered, such as neuroglobin, cytoglobin, and androglobin. The transport, catalytic, and sensory functions of these proteins have been outlined.

Hb is increasingly important for basic and applied science, implicating several areas of research.

Hemoglobins are explored under various stress conditions including oxidative, nitrosative, and carbonyl stress, and changes in their properties and functioning induced by modifications of the molecule have also been studied. Another aspect of Hb research is biotechnology. This includes Hb expression for practical purposes, as well as the studying of hemoglobins present in small quantities in their environment or the Hb of exotic organisms.

One more widely developed area is “symbiotic” hemoglobins that have specific characteristics related to their functioning in symbiotic systems. Thus, they are also used for biotechnological goals, e.g., Hb of mollusk Lucina pectinata is considered as a hydrogen sulfide scavenger, and the leghemoglobin of legume plants is gaining popularity for its application in so-called “vegetable meat”.

For this Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences, we are pleased to invite researchers to contribute original research and review articles that showcase recent developments in the structural, functional, and evolutionary characterization of hemoglobins, and demonstrate diverse applications in the process.

Dr. Alexey F. Topunov
Guest Editor

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• hemoglobin
• phytoglobin
• leghemoglobin
• stress conditions
• biotechnology