Why is the decreased affinity of fetal hemoglobin for BPG advantageous? A)With fewer BPG molecules bound there are more heme residues available for O₂ binding. B)Decreased BPG binding biases the fetal hemoglobin toward the R state. C)More free BPG is available to bind to adult hemoglobin,resulting in a shift to the R state. D)BPG is available to bind to fetal myoglobin,helping to release O₂ in fetal muscle tissue. E)none of the above

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Fetal hemoglobin needs to extract oxygen from maternal hemoglobin, which is high in BPG concentration. Therefore, decreased BPG binding biases the fetal hemoglobin towards the R state, which increases its oxygen affinity and enhances oxygen extraction from the mother's circulation.

Why Is the Decreased Affinity of Fetal Hemoglobin for BPG