Myoglobin

About Myoglobin:

• It is a small protein that accounts for about 2% of total muscle protein. 
• It is found predominantly in striated muscle tissue, namely skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle.
  • Specifically, it is in the cytoplasm of cardiac myocytes and the sarcoplasm of oxidative skeletal muscle fibers.
• It encodes a single polypeptide chain with one oxygen binding site.
• It is one of the members of the globin superfamily, which also includes hemoglobin. It often gets compared structurally and functionally to hemoglobin.
• Composition: It’s made of amino acids, iron and other molecules that work together to hold onto oxygen.
• Functions of Myoglobin:
  • Transports Oxygen: It transports oxygen from the bloodstream to the muscles when they need it to convert stored energy into movements.
  • It serves as a sensitive indicator of cellular damage when detected in urine or plasma.
  • It serves as a buffer of intracellular oxygen concentrations and as an oxygen reservoir in muscle. 
  • Enzymatic functions: It is necessary for the decomposition of bioactive nitric oxide to nitrate. The removal of nitric oxide enhances mitochondrial respiration.
  • Remove reactive oxygen species: It can do this by interacting with fatty acids.