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Membrane instability in late-stage erythropoiesis
R E Waugh1, A Mantalaris, R G Bauserman
1Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA. waugh@seas.rochester.edu
Blood
|March 10, 2001
Summary
Red blood cell (RBC) maturation involves significant changes in membrane mechanical stability. This study shows RBC membrane mechanical properties are not fully developed until the final maturation stages.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Hematology
Background:
- Red blood cell (RBC) maturation transforms nucleated normoblasts into mature discocytes.
- This process involves substantial changes in cell structure and mechanical properties.
- Membrane mechanical stability development reflects the organization of underlying cytoskeletal proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the time course of membrane structural organization during RBC maturation.
- To quantify changes in membrane mechanical stability throughout erythropoiesis.
- To determine when mechanical stability is fully established in mature erythrocytes.
Main Methods:
- Assessed membrane stability by measuring tether formation forces.
- Used mononuclear cells from human marrow, marrow reticulocytes, circulating reticulocytes, and mature erythrocytes.
- Employed micropipette manipulation and biotinylation to form and measure lipid tethers.
Main Results:
- Mean tethering force for marrow reticulocytes and normoblasts was 27 +/- 9 pN.
- Mean tethering force for mature erythrocytes was 54 +/- 14 pN.
- Energy of bilayer-skeleton dissociation increased fourfold from reticulocyte to mature cell stage.
Conclusions:
- RBC membrane mechanical stability significantly increases during maturation.
- Full mechanical stability is achieved only in the terminal stages of RBC development.
- This indicates a late-stage development of the membrane's structural organization.