PHRM 123 COMPREHENSIVE EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS 2025 GRADED A+
✔✔What is an iron-containing porphyrin compound that forms the non-protein portion of
hemoglobin and some other biological molecules? - ✔✔heme
✔✔What is the importance of iron in heme - ✔✔place that binds oxygen as an O2
molecule
✔✔Where is heme synthesized - ✔✔mitochondria from glycine and co-enzyme A
✔✔What portion of the Hb molecule is important because it affects the saturation
dynamics of the heme portion of the Hb molecule with oxygen? - ✔✔globin
✔✔Where is the globin portion of Hb synthesized? - ✔✔cytoplasm
✔✔Where is the heme portion of Hb synthesized? - ✔✔mitochondria
✔✔Where are the genes for the formation of the alpha globin subunit of Hb found? -
✔✔chromosome 16
✔✔Where are the genes for the beta and gamma subunits of Hb found -
✔✔chromosome 11
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin A composed of? - ✔✔alpha,
beta
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin F composed of? - ✔✔alpha,
gamma
✔✔During embryonic devlopment in the first 3 months when the yolk sac is the primary
site of formation, what globins are expressed? - ✔✔epsilon, zeta
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Embryonic Hb composed of? - ✔✔zeta,
episilon
zeta, gamma
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin A2 composed of? -
✔✔alpha, delta
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin A1C composed of -
✔✔alpha, beta
,✔✔In the second trimester as the liver develops and becomes a site of RBC formation,
the fetal _____ globin dominates as the ______ formation disappears - ✔✔gamma,
epsilon
✔✔As the spleen and eventually red bone marrow become active in RBC formation, the
______ globin production becomes more prominent, leading to the adult Hb form -
✔✔beta
✔✔Does the fetal Hb or adult Hb have a higher affinity for oxygen? - ✔✔fetal Hb
✔✔_____ is the form of hemoglobin that has been glycated or non-enzymatically
glycosylated by the covalent bonding of glucose to Hb - ✔✔Hb-A1c
✔✔What does the Hb-A1c percentage provide? - ✔✔indication for average blood
glucose levels over the previous 3-month period of time, corresponding to the lifespan
of RBCs
✔✔_____ is an inherited blood disorder in which the globular protein portion of
hemoglobin is abnormal. RBCs are easily destroyed, shortening their lifespan and
leading to hemolytic anemia - ✔✔Thalassemia
✔✔Where is alpha-thalassemia most common? - ✔✔Southeast Asia, Middle East,
China, Africa
✔✔Where is beta-thalassemia most common? - ✔✔individuals of Mediterranean origin
✔✔What is alpha-thalassemia - ✔✔protein mutation is in the alpha-globin subunits of
Hb
✔✔What is beta-thalassemia - ✔✔protein mutation is in the beta-globin subunits of Hb
✔✔An excess of red blood cells is called ______ - ✔✔polycythemia
✔✔An excess of hemoglobin is called - ✔✔erythrocytosis
✔✔What is a genetic mutation in which RBC production does not stop - ✔✔primary
polycythemia or polycythemia vera
✔✔What causes secondary polycythemia - ✔✔low oxygen (high altitudes, smokers),
chronic lung disease (overproduction of EPO, renal tumors)
✔✔What is the number of circulating erythrocytes under normal conditions? -
✔✔3x10^13 cells
, ✔✔What is the amount of erythrocytes removed each hour by the tissue macrophage
(reticuloendothelial) - ✔✔1 x 10^10
✔✔What is the turnover of erythrocytes per day? - ✔✔~1%
✔✔Where does destruction of erythrocytes occur? - ✔✔reticuloendothelial cells
(macrophages), primarily in the liver and spleen
✔✔What stimulates kidneys to produce erythropoietin - ✔✔low O2 levels
✔✔What organ does low O2 levels in blood stimulate to produce erythropoietin -
✔✔kidneys
✔✔What is hemoglobin broken up into? - ✔✔heme, globin
✔✔What is the protein portion of Hb (globin) broken down to? - ✔✔amino acids
✔✔What is heme broken into? - ✔✔bilirubin, iron
✔✔What is iron stored as - ✔✔ferritin, hemosiderin
✔✔What is picked up from blood by the liver, secreted into intestine in bile, metabolized
to stercobilin by bacteria and excreted in feces? - ✔✔bilirubin
✔✔What is Iron bound to when it is released to blood from liver as needed for
erythropoiesis - ✔✔transferrin
✔✔What is a glycoprotein hormone of 34,000 Da - ✔✔erythropoietin
✔✔Where is EPO found? - ✔✔most from kidney (85%) with some released by the liver
(15%)
✔✔What stimulates the release of EPO - ✔✔hypoxia, adenosine stimulates, alkalosis
and catecholamines
✔✔What is the function of EPO? - ✔✔stimulate production of RBC precursors from
committed stem cells in red bone marrow
✔✔What would happen to stem cells without EPO? - ✔✔apoptosis
✔✔Where is the earliest site of red cell formation - ✔✔yolk sac
SOLUTIONS 2025 GRADED A+
✔✔What is an iron-containing porphyrin compound that forms the non-protein portion of
hemoglobin and some other biological molecules? - ✔✔heme
✔✔What is the importance of iron in heme - ✔✔place that binds oxygen as an O2
molecule
✔✔Where is heme synthesized - ✔✔mitochondria from glycine and co-enzyme A
✔✔What portion of the Hb molecule is important because it affects the saturation
dynamics of the heme portion of the Hb molecule with oxygen? - ✔✔globin
✔✔Where is the globin portion of Hb synthesized? - ✔✔cytoplasm
✔✔Where is the heme portion of Hb synthesized? - ✔✔mitochondria
✔✔Where are the genes for the formation of the alpha globin subunit of Hb found? -
✔✔chromosome 16
✔✔Where are the genes for the beta and gamma subunits of Hb found -
✔✔chromosome 11
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin A composed of? - ✔✔alpha,
beta
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin F composed of? - ✔✔alpha,
gamma
✔✔During embryonic devlopment in the first 3 months when the yolk sac is the primary
site of formation, what globins are expressed? - ✔✔epsilon, zeta
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Embryonic Hb composed of? - ✔✔zeta,
episilon
zeta, gamma
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin A2 composed of? -
✔✔alpha, delta
✔✔What kind of hemoglobin subunit chains is Hemoglobin A1C composed of -
✔✔alpha, beta
,✔✔In the second trimester as the liver develops and becomes a site of RBC formation,
the fetal _____ globin dominates as the ______ formation disappears - ✔✔gamma,
epsilon
✔✔As the spleen and eventually red bone marrow become active in RBC formation, the
______ globin production becomes more prominent, leading to the adult Hb form -
✔✔beta
✔✔Does the fetal Hb or adult Hb have a higher affinity for oxygen? - ✔✔fetal Hb
✔✔_____ is the form of hemoglobin that has been glycated or non-enzymatically
glycosylated by the covalent bonding of glucose to Hb - ✔✔Hb-A1c
✔✔What does the Hb-A1c percentage provide? - ✔✔indication for average blood
glucose levels over the previous 3-month period of time, corresponding to the lifespan
of RBCs
✔✔_____ is an inherited blood disorder in which the globular protein portion of
hemoglobin is abnormal. RBCs are easily destroyed, shortening their lifespan and
leading to hemolytic anemia - ✔✔Thalassemia
✔✔Where is alpha-thalassemia most common? - ✔✔Southeast Asia, Middle East,
China, Africa
✔✔Where is beta-thalassemia most common? - ✔✔individuals of Mediterranean origin
✔✔What is alpha-thalassemia - ✔✔protein mutation is in the alpha-globin subunits of
Hb
✔✔What is beta-thalassemia - ✔✔protein mutation is in the beta-globin subunits of Hb
✔✔An excess of red blood cells is called ______ - ✔✔polycythemia
✔✔An excess of hemoglobin is called - ✔✔erythrocytosis
✔✔What is a genetic mutation in which RBC production does not stop - ✔✔primary
polycythemia or polycythemia vera
✔✔What causes secondary polycythemia - ✔✔low oxygen (high altitudes, smokers),
chronic lung disease (overproduction of EPO, renal tumors)
✔✔What is the number of circulating erythrocytes under normal conditions? -
✔✔3x10^13 cells
, ✔✔What is the amount of erythrocytes removed each hour by the tissue macrophage
(reticuloendothelial) - ✔✔1 x 10^10
✔✔What is the turnover of erythrocytes per day? - ✔✔~1%
✔✔Where does destruction of erythrocytes occur? - ✔✔reticuloendothelial cells
(macrophages), primarily in the liver and spleen
✔✔What stimulates kidneys to produce erythropoietin - ✔✔low O2 levels
✔✔What organ does low O2 levels in blood stimulate to produce erythropoietin -
✔✔kidneys
✔✔What is hemoglobin broken up into? - ✔✔heme, globin
✔✔What is the protein portion of Hb (globin) broken down to? - ✔✔amino acids
✔✔What is heme broken into? - ✔✔bilirubin, iron
✔✔What is iron stored as - ✔✔ferritin, hemosiderin
✔✔What is picked up from blood by the liver, secreted into intestine in bile, metabolized
to stercobilin by bacteria and excreted in feces? - ✔✔bilirubin
✔✔What is Iron bound to when it is released to blood from liver as needed for
erythropoiesis - ✔✔transferrin
✔✔What is a glycoprotein hormone of 34,000 Da - ✔✔erythropoietin
✔✔Where is EPO found? - ✔✔most from kidney (85%) with some released by the liver
(15%)
✔✔What stimulates the release of EPO - ✔✔hypoxia, adenosine stimulates, alkalosis
and catecholamines
✔✔What is the function of EPO? - ✔✔stimulate production of RBC precursors from
committed stem cells in red bone marrow
✔✔What would happen to stem cells without EPO? - ✔✔apoptosis
✔✔Where is the earliest site of red cell formation - ✔✔yolk sac
