Sugar transport in reversibly hemolyzed avian erythrocytes

The technique of reversible hemolysis represents one approach which may be used to study transport regulation in nucleated red cells. After 1 h of incubation at 37 degrees C, 88% of the ghosts regained their permeability barrier to L-glucose. In these ghosts, the carrier-mediated rate of entry of 3-O-methylglucose was more than 10-fold greater than the rate in intact cells. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase prevented ghosts from resealing when it was present at the time of hemolysis. Albumin, lactic dehydrogenase and peroxidase did not have this effect. Sugar transport rate could not be tested in the unsealed ghosts. Two possible mechanisms for the effect of hypotonic hemolysis on sugar transport rate were discussed: (1) altered membrane organization and (2) loss of intracellular compounds which bind to the membrane and inhibit transport in intact cells.