Developmental changes in the structure and function of lobster hemocyanin
type: CreativeWork
description: Respiratory systems function as one of the interfaces between an organism and its environment; the flexibility of this system may therefore constrain the distributional limits of the organism. The respiratory system of a substantial number of marine invertebrate species, particularly amongst the decapod crustaceans, contain hemocyanin as the oxygen binding protein. Previous investigations have revealed a great deal about the structural and functional properties of this respiratory pigment, but a number of important questions remain unanswered. No strong correlation has yet been established between differences in the structure of the oligomer or the diversity of its subunits and the functional properties of the protein. The link between anatomy, habitat, and hemocyanin structure or function is also still unclear in many areas. This thesis was designed to examine aggregate size, subunit composition, and oxygen binding properties of hemocyanin in the larval, juvenile, and adult stages of Homarus americanus. These studies elucidate the relationship between structure and function of hemocyanin, and provide some insights on larval ecology as well. Hemocyanin occurs in all larval stages of the American lobster in concentrations between 8 and 12 mg/ml; concentration in the adult is about five times that of the larval stages. Calculations of cardiac output based on preliminary measurements of heart rate and heart size for the first three larval stages indicate that the oxygen bound to the hemocyanin may be required for routine respiration. The ratio of hexameric and dodecameric forms of hemocyanin were determined for each of the stages under study. Stage I and II larvae possess almost exclusively hexameric hemocyanin, but stage III larvae have almost equal proportions of the two forms. The dodecamer predominates in the fourth stage larvae, and is the only form found in the juvenile lobster. Adult lobster hemolymph appears to contain both forms, but only the dodecameric hemoc…
abstract: Respiratory systems function as one of the interfaces between an organism and its environment; the flexibility of this system may therefore constrain the distributional limits of the organism. The respiratory system of a substantial number of marine invertebrate species, particularly amongst the decapod crustaceans, contain hemocyanin as the oxygen binding protein. Previous investigations have revealed a great deal about the structural and functional properties of this respiratory pigment, but a number of important questions remain unanswered. No strong correlation has yet been established between differences in the structure of the oligomer or the diversity of its subunits and the functional properties of the protein. The link between anatomy, habitat, and hemocyanin structure or function is also still unclear in many areas. This thesis was designed to examine aggregate size, subunit composition, and oxygen binding properties of hemocyanin in the larval, juvenile, and adult stages of Homarus americanus. These studies elucidate the relationship between structure and function of hemocyanin, and provide some insights on larval ecology as well. Hemocyanin occurs in all larval stages of the American lobster in concentrations between 8 and 12 mg/ml; concentration in the adult is about five times that of the larval stages. Calculations of cardiac output based on preliminary measurements of heart rate and heart size for the first three larval stages indicate that the oxygen bound to the hemocyanin may be required for routine respiration. The ratio of hexameric and dodecameric forms of hemocyanin were determined for each of the stages under study. Stage I and II larvae possess almost exclusively hexameric hemocyanin, but stage III larvae have almost equal proportions of the two forms. The dodecamer predominates in the fourth stage larvae, and is the only form found in the juvenile lobster. Adult lobster hemolymph appears to contain both forms, but only the dodecameric hemoc…
author: Olson, Kirby S.
language: en_US
keywords: Hemocyanin, Lobsters
date published: 1991-02
date modified: 2026-07-27T22:05:06Z
provider: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/1912/5475

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.1575/1912/5475