Stimulation of globin synthesis: relative responsiveness of reticulocytes and nucleated erythroid cells

In vitro kinetics of reticulocyte subtypes: maturation after red blood cell storage in additive solution-1 (AS-1)

Background

Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells containing RNA remnants. Their population kinetics has been documented under various in vivo and in vitro conditions, including after storage of red blood cells in blood banks. The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of blood bank storage on the kinetics of reticulocyte disappearance by in vitro culturing.

Method

Samples of reticulocyte-enriched fractions (Percoll density-gradient) were obtained over different storage times from six red blood cell units stored in additive solution-1 (AS-1). Reticulocyte fractions were then cultured in enriched media at 37 °C and analyzed by flow cytometry with thiazole orange taking into account hemolysis.

Results

Density-gradient enriched reticulocyte fractions were obtain from standard red blood cell units with <1% of reticulocytes. An exponential drop of reticulocytes was observed in cultures. The time taken for reticulocyte disappearance in cultures was shorter with increased blood bank storage time (144 ± 46 h at 0.5 weeks of storage and 15 ± 14 h in the sixth week). High fluorescence reticulocytes disappeared completely in 42.5 ± 8.5 h, medium fluorescence reticulocytes in 73.4 ± 20.8 h and low fluorescence reticulocytes in 269.9 ± 98.8 h in red blood cell units stored for half a week. These times significantly decreased in red blood cell units stored for more time.

Conclusion

In vitro reticulocyte disappearance was significantly faster after prolonged storage of red blood cell units at 4 °C. The in vitro half-life at 0.5 weeks of storage was not significantly different from the values reported for fresh venous blood, but after the sixth week of storage, the half-lives were shorter. The possible explanation is that blood bank storage does not cause irreversible damage to the human reticulocyte maturational machinery.

Effect of cobalt on the synthesis and degradation of hepatic catalase in vivo

1. The administration of CoCl(2) to rats caused a decrease in hepatic catalase activity as well as a decrease in the amount of catalase protein as measured by immunological assay. The mitochondrial enzyme decreased progressively over 2 days, whereas the cytosol enzyme decreased over 12h and then remained essentially unchanged for 2 days after a single injection of cobalt. 2. Incorporation of [(14)C]glycine into catalase haem was dramatically decreased by a single injection of cobalt, but that into catalase protein remained essentially unaltered. 3. Incorporation of [(3)H]leucine into liver protein increased in rats in a steady state receiving a daily injection of cobalt, which was in contrast with a marked inhibition observed in 5-amino[(3)H]laevulinate incorporation. 4. The initial rate of [(3)H]leucine incorporation into mitochondrial and cytosol catalase did not alter or was slightly depressed in the cobalt-treated animals, whereas the incorporation of 5-amino[(3)H]laevulinate into mitochondrial and cytosol catalase was conspicuously decreased, indicating that haem synthesis was limiting catalase formation. 5. The degradation rate of catalase protein, as measured by a double-labelling method, was not changed by the cobalt treatment.

Regulation of hemoglobin beta-chain synthesis in bone marrow erythroid cells by alpha chains

Synthesis of alpha and beta chains of hemoglobin was studied in vitro in intact reticulocytes and bone marrow cells. The cells were from rabbits having a variant form of hemoglobin in which L-isoleucine is in the alpha but not in the beta chains. This characteristic permitted a selective inhibition of alpha-chain synthesis to be produced by addition to the incubation medium of L-O-methylthreonine, an inhibitor of protein synthesis that is a specific antagonist of L-isoleucine. In studies with reticulocytes, 25 mM L-O-methylthreonine produced a 60-70% inhibition of alpha-chain synthesis, but beta-chain synthesis was unaffected even after incubation times for 4 hr. Because reticulocytes contain a pool of uncombined alpha chains which might have obscured the demonstration of an alpha chain-dependent mechanism for beta-chain synthesis, subsequent studies were done with bone marrow cells. The latter had little or no detectable alpha-chain pool. A substantial inhibition of alpha-chain synthesis by the bone marrow cells was produced by the isoleucine antagonist but was also accompanied by a significantly decreased rate of beta-chain synthesis. These findings suggest that the coordinated synthesis of the complementary alpha- and beta-globin chains of hemoglobin may reflect in part a modifying effect of alpha-chain synthesis on the synthesis of beta chains.