Hemoglobin is found in the erythrocytes of all vertebrates. It is a conjugated protein with the prosthetic group heme which contains iron. The heme group is involved with the transport of oxygen from the lungs to tissues, while the globin portion of hemoglobin plays a major role in transporting carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. The iron in heme is in the ferrous state. In oxyhemoglobin, it is apparently still in the ferrous state, but the oxygen is loosely bound to it.
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