Fluorescence assay of the interaction between hemoglobin and the cytoplasmic domain of erythrocyte membrane band 3

Hemoglobin Binding to the Red Blood Cell (RBC) Membrane Is Associated with Decreased Cell Deformability

The deformability of red blood cells (RBCs), expressing their ability to change their shape as a function of flow-induced shear stress, allows them to optimize oxygen delivery to the tissues and minimize their resistance to flow, especially in microcirculation. During physiological aging and blood storage, or under external stimulations, RBCs undergo metabolic and structural alterations, one of which is hemoglobin (Hb) redistribution between the cytosol and the membrane. Consequently, part of the Hb may attach to the cell membrane, and although this process is reversible, the increase in membrane-bound Hb (MBHb) can affect the cell's mechanical properties and deformability in particular. In the present study, we examined the correlation between the MBHb levels, determined by mass spectroscopy, and the cell deformability, determined by image analysis. Six hemoglobin subunits were found attached to the RBC membranes. The cell deformability was negatively correlated with the level of four subunits, with a highly significant inter-correlation between them. These data suggest that the decrease in RBC deformability results from Hb redistribution between the cytosol and the cell membrane and the respective Hb interaction with the cell membrane.

The Impact of Ca2+ on Intracellular Distribution of Hemoglobin in Human Erythrocytes

The membrane-bound hemoglobin (Hb) fraction impacts red blood cell (RBC) rheology and metabolism. Therefore, Hb-RBC membrane interactions are precisely controlled. For instance, the signaling function of membrane-bound deoxy-Hb and the structure of the docking sites in the cytosolic domain of the anion exchanger 1 (AE-1) protein are well documented; however, much less is known about the interaction of Hb variants with the erythrocyte's membrane. Here, we identified factors other than O2 availability that control Hb abundance in the membrane-bound fraction and the possible variant-specific binding selectivity of Hb to the membrane. We show that depletion of extracellular Ca2+ by chelators, or its omission from the extracellular medium, leads to membrane-bound Hb release into the cytosol. The removal of extracellular Ca2+ further triggers the redistribution of HbA0 and HbA2 variants between the membrane and the cytosol in favor of membrane-bound HbA2. Both effects are reversible and are no longer observed upon reintroduction of Ca2+ into the extracellular medium. Fluctuations of cytosolic Ca2+ also impact the pre-membrane Hb pool, resulting in the massive transfer of Hb to the cellular cytosol. We hypothesize that AE-1 is the specific membrane target and discuss the physiological outcomes and possible clinical implications of the Ca2+ regulation of the intracellular Hb distribution.

Band 3 protein function and oxidative stress in erythrocytes

Band 3 protein (B3p), anion transporter, allows the HCO₃ ^- /Cl^- exchange across plasma membrane and plays an important role for erythrocytes homeostasis. In addition, B3p is linked to proteins cytoskeleton, thus contributing to cell shape and deformability, essential to erythrocytes adjustment within narrowest capillaries. Taking into account that erythrocytes are a suitable cell model to investigate the response of the oxidative stress effects, B3p functions, and specifically anion exchange capability, determining the rate constant for SO₄ ^2- uptake, has been considered. As, in the latter years, rising attention has been addressed to membrane transport system, and particularly to this protein, the present mini-review has been conceived to report the most recent knowledge about B3p, with specific regard to its functions in oxidative stress conditions, including oxidative stress-related diseases.

Carbonyl Stress in Red Blood Cells and Hemoglobin

The paper overviews the peculiarities of carbonyl stress in nucleus-free mammal red blood cells (RBCs). Some functional features of RBCs make them exceptionally susceptible to reactive carbonyl compounds (RCC) from both blood plasma and the intracellular environment. In the first case, these compounds arise from the increased concentrations of glucose or ketone bodies in blood plasma, and in the second-from a misbalance in the glycolysis regulation. RBCs are normally exposed to RCC-methylglyoxal (MG), triglycerides-in blood plasma of diabetes patients. MG modifies lipoproteins and membrane proteins of RBCs and endothelial cells both on its own and with reactive oxygen species (ROS). Together, these phenomena may lead to arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, hemolytic anemia, vascular occlusion, local ischemia, and hypercoagulation phenotype formation. ROS, reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and RCC might also damage hemoglobin (Hb), the most common protein in the RBC cytoplasm. It was Hb with which non-enzymatic glycation was first shown in living systems under physiological conditions. Glycated HbA1c is used as a very reliable and useful diagnostic marker. Studying the impacts of MG, ROS, and RNS on the physiological state of RBCs and Hb is of undisputed importance for basic and applied science.

Inner filter effect as a sensitive sensing platform for detection of nitrofurantoin using luminescent drug-based carbon nanodots

In the present paper, a sensitive and selective inner filter effect sensing platform was designed to detect nitrofurantoin (NIT) in pharmaceutical dosage form. Nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon nanodots (CNDs) prepared via solvothermal treatment of folic acid and phosphoric acid. The prepared CNDs exhibit greenish fluorescence at 470 nm when excited at 340 nm with fluorescence quantum yield up to 40%. The CNDs exhibit high stability in various pH, temperature, and ionic strength which adds valuable merits to its pharmaceutical applications. The emission is quenched in the presence of absorber (here NIT) while the fluorophores were not quench by the presence of common pharmaceutical excipients. A fluorometric assay was fabricated to determine NIT in capsules by quenching of the CNDs. The linear response for the proposed method was from 5.0 μM to 90 μM with the detection limit being 1.4 μM. To validate the method, the recovery of NIT in spiked sample was measured which was 96.6% -103.3%. The method was applied to the determination of NIT in pharmaceutical capsule samples, with comparable results of a reference method stated by the British Pharmacopeia (BP). Furthermore, the sub-acute toxicity studies of CNDs were investigated using normal male Balb/c mice forcefully drunk with 3 different dosages of CNDs. Animals did not produce treatment related signs of toxicity or mortality in any of the animals tested during the 28 days observation period. Additionally, no significant (P > 0.05) changes in the body weight, haematological and biochemical parameters compared with the control group were not revealed. Similarly, histopathological examination of the internal vital organs did not show any morphological alterations.

Potential role of cytoplasmic protein binding to erythrocyte membrane in counteracting oxidative and metabolic stress

The ability of protein to reversibly bind with membrane components is considered to be one of the oldest mechanisms of cell response to external stimuli. Erythrocytes have a well-developed mechanism of an adaptive response involving sorption-desorption processes, e.g. interactions of key glycolytic enzymes and hemoglobin with band 3 protein. A few publications have shown that under oxidative stress, cytoplasmic enzymes such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase and рeroxiredoxin bind to the erythrocyte membrane. The present work is a continuation of research in this direction to determine the causes and consequences of the interaction of cytoplasmic proteins with the membrane under conditions of oxidative stress and different glucose content. Human erythrocytes were incubated for five hours at 20 °C in an oxidizing medium of AscH – 1 · 10–4 M, Cu2+– 5 · 10–6 M with different glucose content (0–8 mM). Dynamic changes in the accumulation of membrane-bound hemoglobin, the distribution of ligand forms of hemoglobin in the cytoplasmic and membrane-bound fractions, the activity of membrane-associated and cytoplasmic forms of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and catalase, H2O2 content in extracellular and intracellular media were recorded. It was shown that binding of catalase and SOD1 to the erythrocyte membrane is initiated by oxidative stress and is a physiological function aimed at complete inactivation of extracellular and H2O2 and protection against their entry into the cell. It was shown that under conditions of glucose depletion and oxidative loading, catalase and SOD1 bind to the erythrocyte membrane, leading to inactivation of these enzymes. Membrane-bound hemoglobin was higher in cells incubated under these conditions than in glucose experiments. Glucose introduced into the incubation medium in an amount 4–8 mM causes complete binding of SOD1 to the membrane of erythrocytes, by involving it in the processes of casein kinase stabilization and glycolytic fluxes regulation. With mild oxidation, the amount of hemoglobin bound to the membrane does not change, indicating the presence of certain binding sites for hemoglobin with membrane proteins. We show that the activity of membrane-bound SOD1 along with the content of ligand forms in the composition of membrane-bound hemoglobin are informative indicators of the metabolic and redox state of erythrocytes.

Oxygen tension-mediated erythrocyte membrane interactions regulate cerebral capillary hyperemia

The tight coupling between cerebral blood flow and neural activity is a key feature of normal brain function and forms the basis of functional hyperemia. The mechanisms coupling neural activity to vascular responses, however, remain elusive despite decades of research. Recent studies have shown that cerebral functional hyperemia begins in capillaries, and red blood cells (RBCs) act as autonomous regulators of brain capillary perfusion. RBCs then respond to local changes of oxygen tension (PO₂) and regulate their capillary velocity. Using ex vivo microfluidics and in vivo two-photon microscopy, we examined RBC capillary velocity as a function of PO₂ and showed that deoxygenated hemoglobin and band 3 interactions on RBC membrane are the molecular switch that responds to local PO₂ changes and controls RBC capillary velocity. Capillary hyperemia can be controlled by manipulating RBC properties independent of the neurovascular unit, providing an effective strategy to treat or prevent impaired functional hyperemia.

Myosin IIA interacts with the spectrin-actin membrane skeleton to control red blood cell membrane curvature and deformability

The biconcave disk shape and deformability of mammalian RBCs rely on the membrane skeleton, a viscoelastic network of short, membrane-associated actin filaments (F-actin) cross-linked by long, flexible spectrin tetramers. Nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) motors exert force on diverse F-actin networks to control cell shapes, but a function for NMII contractility in the 2D spectrin-F-actin network of RBCs has not been tested. Here, we show that RBCs contain membrane skeleton-associated NMIIA puncta, identified as bipolar filaments by superresolution fluorescence microscopy. MgATP disrupts NMIIA association with the membrane skeleton, consistent with NMIIA motor domains binding to membrane skeleton F-actin and contributing to membrane mechanical properties. In addition, the phosphorylation of the RBC NMIIA heavy and light chains in vivo indicates active regulation of NMIIA motor activity and filament assembly, while reduced heavy chain phosphorylation of membrane skeleton-associated NMIIA indicates assembly of stable filaments at the membrane. Treatment of RBCs with blebbistatin, an inhibitor of NMII motor activity, decreases the number of NMIIA filaments associated with the membrane and enhances local, nanoscale membrane oscillations, suggesting decreased membrane tension. Blebbistatin-treated RBCs also exhibit elongated shapes, loss of membrane curvature, and enhanced deformability, indicating a role for NMIIA contractility in promoting membrane stiffness and maintaining RBC biconcave disk cell shape. As structures similar to the RBC membrane skeleton exist in many metazoan cell types, these data demonstrate a general function for NMII in controlling specialized membrane morphology and mechanical properties through contractile interactions with short F-actin in spectrin-F-actin networks.

Effects of Hypoxia on Erythrocyte Membrane Properties-Implications for Intravascular Hemolysis and Purinergic Control of Blood Flow

Intravascular hemolysis occurs in hereditary, acquired, and iatrogenic hemolytic conditions but it could be also a normal physiological process contributing to intercellular signaling. New evidence suggests that intravascular hemolysis and the associated release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) may be an important mechanism for in vivo local purinergic signaling and blood flow regulation during exercise and hypoxia. However, the mechanisms that modulate hypoxia-induced RBC membrane fragility remain unclear. Here, we provide an overview of the role of RBC ATP release in the regulation of vascular tone and prevailing assumptions on the putative release mechanisms. We show importance of intravascular hemolysis as a source of ATP for local purinergic regulation of blood flow and discuss processes that regulate membrane propensity to rupture under stress and hypoxia.

Cation Homeostasis in Red Cells From Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Heterologous for HbS and HbC (HbSC Genotype)

Sickle cell disease (SCD) in patients of HbSC genotype is considered similar, albeit milder, to that in homozygous HbSS individuals--but with little justification. In SCD, elevated red cell cation permeability is critical as increased solute loss causes dehydration and encourages sickling. Recently, we showed that the KCl cotransporter (KCC) activity in red cells from HbSC patients correlated significantly with disease severity, but that in HbSS patients did not. Two transporters involved in red cell dehydration, the conductive channels Psickle and the Gardos channel, behaved similarly in red cells from the two genotypes, but were significantly less active in HbSC patients. By contrast, KCC activity was quantitatively greater in HbSC red cells. Results suggest that KCC is likely to have greater involvement in red cell dehydration in HbSC patients, which could explain its association with disease severity in this genotype. This work supports the hypothesis that SCD in HbSC patients is a distinct disease entity to that in HbSS patients. Results suggest the possibility of designing specific treatments of particular benefit to HbSC patients and a rationale for the development of prognostic markers, to inform early treatment of children likely to develop more severe complications of the disease.