The diversity of hemoglobins, their

The diversity of hemoglobins, their crucial functions, their exquisite regulation and the pathological consequences of some mutations make this a fascinating family of proteins and genes. Exploration of these genes in many different species continues to illuminate some and challenge other evolutionary models. The recent analysis of the globin gene clusters in platypus, combined with data mining in fish and frog genomes, has strongly supported previous ideas about the relationships of the globin gene clusters in vertebrates, with the α- and β-globin genes in the MC locus deduced as ancestral.