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Cytoplasmic pH and human erythrocyte shape

M M Gedde1, D K Davis, W H Huestis

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, California 94305, USA.

Biophysical Journal
|March 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary
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Altered pH changes human red blood cell shape. This study found that changes in cytoplasmic pH, not cell water or chloride, are necessary and sufficient for these red blood cell shape transformations.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Cell Biology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • External pH significantly alters human erythrocyte morphology, inducing discocyte-to-stomatoctye or echinocyte transformations.
  • Previous research suggested membrane potential changes mediate these shape alterations, but this has been disputed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the specific physiological properties responsible for pH-induced human erythrocyte shape changes.
  • To identify the key intracellular or membrane factors driving erythrocyte morphological transformations.

Main Methods:

  • Human erythrocytes were subjected to varied buffer pH, chloride concentrations, and osmolality to induce diverse physiological states.
  • Morphological analysis was performed alongside assays for cell pH, membrane potential, cell water, and cell chloride concentration.

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  • Data were analyzed using stratification and nonlinear multivariate modeling to correlate physiological properties with cell shape.

    • Main Results:

    • Neither cell water content nor cell chloride concentration changes were found to alter erythrocyte morphology in normal pH conditions.
    • Alterations in cytoplasmic pH were demonstrated to induce significant shape changes even when membrane potential and cell water remained within normal ranges.
    • Cytoplasmic pH emerged as the critical determinant of erythrocyte shape in response to external pH variations.

    Conclusions:

    • Cytoplasmic pH is both a necessary and sufficient factor for mediating human erythrocyte shape changes in altered pH environments.
    • The findings challenge previous hypotheses and pinpoint intracellular pH as the primary driver of these morphological transformations.
    • This study provides a clearer understanding of erythrocyte physiology and its response to environmental pH shifts.