Was the loss of the D helix in alpha globin a functionally neutral mutation?

Abstract excerpt

Proteins in the globin family are found in a variety of species from bacteria to man. From the many globin sequences known, evolutionary trees have been constructed showing that alpha and beta globins diverged from a common ancestor between 425 and 500 million years ago, after vertebrate species had appeared and roughly when sharks and bony vertebrates diverged. The alpha and beta globins assemble to form...

Topics

• Escherichia coli
• Globins
• Hemoglobins
• Humans
• Models, Molecular
• Mutation
• Oxygen
• Protein Conformation
• Transfection