Membrane phospholipid organization and vesiculation of erythrocytes in sickle cell anaemia

This review has examined the lipid composition of the RBC membrane and the methods used to determine the distribution of the phospholipids within the membrane. The importance of the membrane cytoskeletal proteins, in particular spectrin and protein 4.1, in maintaining this distribution has also been described. Membrane vesiculation and altered membrane phospholipid asymmetry in sickle cell anaemia have been reviewed. The relationships between vesiculation and hypercoagulability and an abnormal reticuloendothelial system in sickle cell disease have been examined. It is apparent that the single amino acid substitution leading to the production of sickle haemoglobin has profound effects on the entire erythrocyte, reaching to the limits of the cell, its plasma membrane.