Red cell aging. II. Anomalous electrophoretic properties of neuraminidase treated human erythrocytes

Surface potential of phosphoinositide membranes: comparison between theory and experiment

Surface potential of lipid membranes made of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and one of the phosphoinositides (PPI); PI, PIP or PIP(2), was studied by using the electrophoretic mobility of these lipid membrane vesicles, and a theoretical model of the surface potential developed for these membranes containing PPIs. By using the measured zeta-potential for the PI/PC membranes and a well-known surface potential theory, the inositol ring of the PI molecule was found to extend into the aqueous phase approximately normal to the membrane surface for various PI/PC ratios investigated. The outer edge of the inositol ring is located at about 5.2A from the phosphate group conjugated with the glycerol of the phospholipids. The inositol group was slightly tilted from the membrane normal direction. For both PIP/PC and PIP(2)/PC membranes, the analyses of surface potential using the measured zeta-potential values and the surface potential theory which was developed for these membranes gave consistent results with respect to the slipping layer distance from the second surface charge layer. The conclusion is that the experimental data can be fairly well resolved by using a linearized Poisson-Boltzmann surface potential equation set up for a PPI/PC membrane model up to a certain concentration of PPI in PC membranes. Our theoretical model made for these membrane surface potentials seems to be reasonable for analysis of electrical surface phenomena for these PPI/PC membranes containing small concentrations of PPI molecules.

Monoclonal antibodies for the detection of desialylation of erythrocyte membranes during haemolytic disease and haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by the in vivo action of microbial neuraminidase

Especially in childhood, the in vivo action of microbial neuraminidase may cause haemolytic anaemia or life-threatening haemolytic uraemic syndrome. The exposure of the Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) crypto-antigen and T-antigen polyagglutinability of erythrocytes has been described as the first sign of toxic cleavage of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) from sialoglycoproteins of cell membranes. This phenomenon may, however, be too unspecific to initiate treatment for toxin elimination. The present study investigated the diagnostic effectiveness of a panel of three monoclonal antibodies (mcabs) for the estimation of the clinical significance of neuraminidase action in vivo. Depending on the amount of Neu5Ac released, the mcabs I-C4, II-Q9 and III-Y12 recognized different epitopes on erythrocyte asialoglycophorin. In 1345 patients, the mcab II-09 detected cleavage of Neu5Ac in 32 children who had T-antigen polyagglutinability and mild to moderate haemolytic anaemia. However, only 10 patients, whose erythrocytes were agglutinated by the mcabs III-Y12 or I-C4, developed severe haemolysis, thrombocytopenia, and finally the life-threatening haemolytic uraemic syndrome (p<0.0002). In conclusion, these mcabs provided an early marker of the in vivo action of neuraminidase. Two different degrees of erythrocyte desialylation, as defined by these mcabs, are suggested to reflect the severity of toxin-associated disease.

Interaction of adriamycin with human erythrocyte membranes. Role of the negatively charged phospholipids

The interaction of the antitumor compound adriamycin with human erythrocyte membranes, used as models of target cell membranes, has been studied using circular dichroism measurements. In order to elucidate the nature of the sites involved in the electrostatic interaction between adriamycin and erythrocyte membranes, its interaction with the following macromolecular systems was studied: phosphatidylserine-containing small unilamellar vesicles (SUV), prepared from total lipid extracts of erythrocytes, sialic acid-depleted erythrocyte ghosts and mucopolysaccharides. We have shown that the interaction between adriamycin and carboxylate groups is very weak and that negatively charged phosphate groups, in the case of membranes, or sulfate groups, in the case of mucopolysaccharides, are responsible for the prime interaction of adriamycin with these macromolecular systems.

Electrophoretic mobility of human erythrocytes. On the applicability of the charged layer model

The limitations of previous linear electrokinetic theories are discussed. A special model of the surface charge distribution, based on the minimum condition of the interfacial electrostatic free energy, is introduced. The model describes the electrophoretic mobility, taking into account the electroosmotic flow through the surface macromolecular layer and the surface conductivity. This nonlinear electrophoretic theory describes experimental data obtained with human erythrocytes. Numerical results for an uniformly distributed space charge are also presented.

Content of red blood-cell sialic acid in BW 35 blood donors. Relation to magnesium concentration and pyruvate kinase activity

Previous studies have shown that the concentration of red blood cell (RBC) magnesium is significantly lower in subjects carrying an HLA-BW 35 antigen (p less than 0.001) than in non-carriers. As this finding might be related to modifications of the RBC membrane sialoglycoconjugates, RBC sialic acid was comparatively determined in BW 35+ and BW 35- subjects. Pyruvate-kinase activity mean RBC volume, and reticulocyte count have also been determined in order to estimate whether some significant variations in the level of these age markers could be detected between the HLA BW 35+ and BW 35- subjects. A significant negative correlation between sialic acid and RBC magnesium concentrations was observed for the whole population tested (n 57, p less than 0.005), 61% of the BW 35+ and only 25% of the BW 35- individuals having sialic acid values above, and magnesium values below the overall mean (p less than 0.01). The variance of mean RBC volume was also larger for the BW 35+ group. Other determinations did not show any significant variations, suggesting that the results are not related to RBC age.

Isolation and characterization of a glycopeptide from human senescent erythrocytes

A glycopeptide (called "senescence-factor glycopeptide", SF-G) has been isolated from a tryptic digest of human erythrocytes by specific adsorption and elution from immobilized peanut lectin. SF-G was detectable in old but not in young erythrocytes isolated from the same unit of blood. It is present in small quantities, less than 1% of the D-galactose oxidase-borotritide-labeled D-galactosyl residues of erythrocytes. SF-G is free of sialic acid but is quite distinct from a similar glycopeptide isolated from completely desialylated erythrocytes. SF-G binds to spleen monocytes, and this property is abolished upon treatment of SF-G with beta-galactosidase. Some, but not all, of the oligosaccharide chains of the SF-G are of the O-glycosyl type, being released by an endo-N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosaminidase.

Recurrent decreases of erythrocyte electrophoretic mobility in rats exposed to 1.0 R whole-body x-radiation

Circulating erythrocytes from rats were examined up to 30 weeks post whole-body exposures of 1.0 R for alterations in the expression of net negative surface charge as measured by whole-cell microelectrophoresis in saline sorbitol. Erythrocyte electrophoretic mobility was determined in an apparatus composed of a horizontal transilluminated cylindrical chamber, equipped with a reversible, blacked platinum electrode, immersed in a water bath maintained at 25.0 +/- 1.0 degree C (Rank Brothers). In two separate experiments, recurrent decreases in the expression of net negative surface charge occurred at 10, 17, and 30 weeks post-irradiation. At these times distributional analyses of recorded erythrocyte electrophoretic mobility (EEPM) values revealed a skewing of the normally distributed EEPM population values to lower EEPM. Total sialic acid content released from hydrolyzed erythrocyte membrane preparations revealed no significant differences between erythrocytes from sham and irradiated animals. In vivo post-irradiation labeling of erythrocytes with diisopropyl-[32P] phosphorofluoridate at 4 and 33 weeks (separate experiments) indicated only a minor abbreviated erythrocyte life span at 33 weeks. Therefore, effects from low dose (1.0 R) whole-body irradiation would appear to include a recurrent defect in the expression of the net negative surface charge.

Impaired red cell deformability in established adjuvant arthritic disease in rats

Deformability and fragility of red blood cells (RBC) of established arthritic rats were measured by a filtration technique. They showed a significantly decreased deformability and, accordingly, a considerably increased fragility to micro heat stimulation, induced by laser irradiation. Subacute treatment of arthritic rats with aspirin and indomethacin had no effect on RBC behaviour whereas hydrocortisone restored the deformability of RBC almost to normal. Treatment of RBC of arthritic rats with neuraminidase caused the deformability of the cells to be restored to a supranormal level.