Hemerythrin Bohr shift in the sipunculid, Themiste pyroides

The sipunculid, Themiste pyroides is found intertidally to subtidally from Southern British Colombia to Northern Mexico. An avid burrower in rock nooks and crevices, this worm is prone to hypoxic environments, particularly during low tide. T. pyroides uses the oxygen-transport protein, hemerythrin to transport oxygen from the tentacles to the vascular system and into the coelom. Because hemerythrin changes to colorless when deoxygenated, the degree of saturation could be measured using spectrophotometry. This study looks at three replicates of purified T. pyroides hemerythrocytes and the degree of saturation with pH, to assess the possibility of a Bohr shift. Conclusively, no Bohr shift can be identified at this time due to the variation in the number of cells. A study looking at absorbency of multiple hemerythrocyte concentrations would serve worthwhile to eliminate this variation. Also, future studies could be done on assessing the presence of a Root effect.