Q .Explain the normal adult haemoglobin curve and how it changes under the Bohr Effect?

Oxygen is transported in the erythrocytes (Red blood cells). They contain a protein called haemoglobin. The oxygen joins with the haemoglobin to form oxyhaemoglobin, which happen in the lungs. When the blood reaches the body tissues cells need oxygen for the aerobic respiration. So the oxyhaemoglobin must be able to release the oxygen. This is called dissociation. The Normal Adult Oxyhaemoglobin Dissociation Curve

A graph of the relationship between the percentage oxygen saturation of blood and the partial pressure of oxygen. The curve is S-shaped (A Sigmoidal Curve) and indicates that haemoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen. The blood becomes highly saturated at relatively low oxygen partial pressures but, within respiring tissues, a small drop in oxygen partial pressure results in a big fall in oxygen saturation of the blood. During exercise, increased temperature and hydrogen ion concentration affect the oxygen-haemoglobin dissociation curve in such a way that more oxygen can be unloaded to supply the active muscles. The Bohr Effect There is a relationship between the amount (concentration) of carbon dioxide and the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen, first described in 1904 by the Danish physiologist Christian
Bohr.

A shift to the right of the oxygen haemoglobin dissociation curve, due to an increase in carbon dioxide or acid in the blood.

When the carbon dioxide, released by the aerobic respiration join with the water it forms carbonic acid, which is weak acid. As it is an acid it dissociates in water to form hydrogen ions it will cause a decrease in the pH(the acidity increases). This results in a reduced affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen so that oxygen can be unloaded more efficiently from active tissues, which is beneficial as more oxygen is dissociating from haemoglobin

References 1.OCR AS Biology, Pete Kennedy and Frank Sochacki,2008. Heineman