Carnivora: the primary structure of the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis, Mustelidae) hemoglobin

The hemoglobin of the Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis, Carnivora) contains only one component. The complete primary structures of the alpha- and beta-chains are presented. The globin chains were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography and the sequences determined by automatic liquid- and gas-phase Edman degradation of the chains and their tryptic peptides. The alpha-chains show 18 and the beta-chains 12 exchanges compared with human alpha- and beta-chains, respectively. In the alpha-chains, two substitutions involve alpha 1/beta 1-contacts and one a heme-contact. In the beta-chains one alpha 1/beta 1-, one alpha 1/beta 2- and one heme-contact are exchanged. The alpha- and beta-chains of the Giant Otter are compared to those of the Common Otter and other Carnivora hemoglobins.