Chondrocytes Producing Haemoglobin
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About Haemoglobin and its functions
- Haemoglobin (Hb) is a protein found in the red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs.
- It is made up of four protein molecules(globulin chains) that are connected together. Each globulin chain contains an iron containing compound termed heme. Embedded within the iron compound is an iron atom which is vital for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood. This iron contained in the haemoglobin is also responsible for the red color of the blood.
- Normal haemoglobin levels:
- The normal range of haemoglobin depend on the age and, beginning in adolescence, the gender of the person.
- Adult male: 14 to 18 gm/dL
- Adult female: 12 to 16 gm/dL
 Recent Updates (Nov 2023)
- In a study published in Nature, scientists have reported that cells that make cartilage, (the connecting tissue between bones) also make haemoglobin.
- Note: The primary cells that makes cartilage is the Chondrocyte.
- Scientists at Beijing Institute of Biotechnology the chondrocytes within the growth plates of new-born mice were not only producing large amount of haemoglobin, but also that it was coalescing and forming large blobs without a membrane. The scientists called these blobs haemoglobin bodies or Hedy.
Are these haemoglobin bodies (Hedy) functional?
- Scientists found that removing the gene that made haemoglobin specifically in the cartilage tissue resulted in cell deaths among the chondrocytes. It was clear that Hedy was essential for chondrocytes to live.
Does haemoglobin also carries oxygen in chondrocytes?
- Scientists found that cartilage tissue synthesized a large amount of haemoglobin to cope with hypoxic conditions.
- They found that cartilage that didn’t contain haemoglobin showed signs of hypoxic stress.