Hemoglobin’s Movin’ Around

(To the tune of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”) / Recording by Tim Karplus
YouTube Video HERE / OSU Cartoon Version HERE

Oh isn’t it great
What proteins can do
Especially ones that bind to O2
Hemoglobin’s moving around

Inside of the lungs
It picks up the bait (and)
Changes itself from T to R state
Hemoglobin’s moving around

The proto-porphyrin system
Its iron makes such a scene
Arising when an O2 binds
Pulling up on histidine

The binding occurs
Cooperatively
Thanks to changes qua-ter-nar-y
Hemoglobin’s moving around

It exits the lungs
Engorged with O2
In search of a working body tissue
Hemoglobin’s moving around

The proton concentration
Is high and has a role
Between the alpha betas
It finds imidazole

To empty their loads
The globins decree
“We need to bind 2,3BPG”
Hemoglobin’s moving around

The stage is thus set
For grabbing a few
Cellular dumps of CO2
Hemoglobin’s moving around

And then inside the lungs it
Discovers ox-y-gen
And dumps the CO2 off
To start all o’er agin

So see how this works
You better expect
To have to describe the Bohr effect
Hemoglobin’s moving around