[Contribution of immunochemical methods to the study of human red-cell membrane proteins]

Together with the classical technics of biochemical analysis, immunological methods have led to differentiate, characterize the main red-cell membrane proteins and to better understand their organization. Immunological methods were particularly involved in the study of: 1) the membrane skeletal proteins, specially spectrin which localization in the membrane, structure and functions have been specified; 2) the principal integral proteins, glycophorin and protein band 3, the transmembrane orientation of which has been corroborated by topographic immunological mapping of their cytoplasmic domain; 3) the anchor chain protein, linking the membrane skeleton to the transmembrane proteins. These methods could further help to a better understanding of the membrane structure. Two kinds of work can be considered using monoclonal antibodies provided by the hybridoma method: 1) the purification by immunoabdsorbent technics, of quantitatively minor membrane proteins, would allow to study their structure and functions; 2) an immunological mapping with monoclonal antibodies specific against each of the skeleton proteins, of membrane preparations observed in electronic microscopy, would permit to visualize the real architecture of these different proteins in the red-cell membrane.