Hemoglobin: Understanding Its Role in Oxygen Transport

Hemoglobin is an iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Hemoglobin is made up of four protein subunits, each of which contains an iron atom. When oxygen binds to the iron atoms, it changes the shape of the hemoglobin molecule, which in turn allows the molecule to bind to other molecules and carry them through the bloodstream.

Hemoglobin is also responsible for giving red blood cells their characteristic red color.