scholarly journals Control of the erythrocyte membrane shape: recovery from the effect of crenating agents.

1981 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 884-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Alhanaty ◽  
M P Sheetz

Intact erythrocytes become immediately crenated upon addition of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) or pyrenebutyric acid (PBA). However, when cells are incubated at 37 degrees C in the presence of the crenating agents with glucose, they gradually (4--8 h) recover the normal biconcave disc form. The recovery process does not reflect a gradual inactivation of DNP or PBA since fresh cells are equally crenated by the supernatant from the recovered cells. Further, after recovery and removal of the crenating agents, cells are found to be desensitized to the readdition of DNP as well as to the addition of PBA, but they are more sensitive to cupping by chlorpromazine. This alteration in the cell membrane responsiveness was reversible upon further incubation in the absence of DNP. Recovery is dependent upon cellular metabolic state since an energy source is needed and incubation with guanosine but not adenosine will accelerate conversion to the disc shape. It is suggested that the conversion of cells from crenated to disc shape in the presence of the crenators, represents an alteration or rearrangement of membrane components rather than a redistribution of the crenators within the membrane. This shape recovery process may be important for erythrocyte shape preservation as well as shape control in other cells.

Blood ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1203-1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Alhanaty ◽  
MP Sheetz

Abstract The shape of the human erythrocyte is normally maintained in vivo as a biconcave disc for 120 days. In vitro, the cell shape can be altered readily by amphipathic compounds; however, given time and an energy source, the cells can recover the discoid morphology. An active shape control mechanism is postulated to regulate erythrocyte shape. The shape recovery process is a necessary element in reversing perturbations of shape and is basic to our understanding of how membrane shape is altered. We report here that the process of shape recovery from crenation is dramatically accelerated upon pretreatment of the cells with micromolar (20–100 microM) concentrations of chloromethyl ketone peptides [such as N-alpha-tosyl-L-phenylalanine- chloromethyl ketone (tos-pheCH2Cl)]. Such pretreatments do not appear to affect cellular viability, as judged by their normal biconcave disc shape, their sensitivity to crenators, their lactic acid production, or the ATP-dependent shape change of the purified membranes. Treatment with high concentrations of tos-pheCH2Cl does cause normal cells to become stomatocytic by an energy-requiring process, i.e., it requires glucose, incubation at 37 degrees C, and will not occur in ATP-depleted cells. We suggest that the chloromethyl ketone peptides affect a metabolic process that is associated with the hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt. Through the alteration of the HMP shunt metabolism, they modify an active stomatocytic process in the erythrocyte that can correct for the perturbation caused by crenators. Implications of these findings for analogous phenomena in cultured cells are discussed.


Blood ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1203-1208
Author(s):  
E Alhanaty ◽  
MP Sheetz

The shape of the human erythrocyte is normally maintained in vivo as a biconcave disc for 120 days. In vitro, the cell shape can be altered readily by amphipathic compounds; however, given time and an energy source, the cells can recover the discoid morphology. An active shape control mechanism is postulated to regulate erythrocyte shape. The shape recovery process is a necessary element in reversing perturbations of shape and is basic to our understanding of how membrane shape is altered. We report here that the process of shape recovery from crenation is dramatically accelerated upon pretreatment of the cells with micromolar (20–100 microM) concentrations of chloromethyl ketone peptides [such as N-alpha-tosyl-L-phenylalanine- chloromethyl ketone (tos-pheCH2Cl)]. Such pretreatments do not appear to affect cellular viability, as judged by their normal biconcave disc shape, their sensitivity to crenators, their lactic acid production, or the ATP-dependent shape change of the purified membranes. Treatment with high concentrations of tos-pheCH2Cl does cause normal cells to become stomatocytic by an energy-requiring process, i.e., it requires glucose, incubation at 37 degrees C, and will not occur in ATP-depleted cells. We suggest that the chloromethyl ketone peptides affect a metabolic process that is associated with the hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt. Through the alteration of the HMP shunt metabolism, they modify an active stomatocytic process in the erythrocyte that can correct for the perturbation caused by crenators. Implications of these findings for analogous phenomena in cultured cells are discussed.


2008 ◽  
Vol 47-50 ◽  
pp. 714-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Lan ◽  
Jin Song Leng ◽  
Yan Ju Liu ◽  
Shan Yi Du

A new system of thermoset styrene-based shape-memory polymer (SMP) filled with carbon black (CB) is investigated. To realize the electroactive stimuli of SMP, the electrical conductivity of SMP filled with various amounts of CB is characterized. The percolation threshold of electrically conductive SMP filled with CB is about 3% (volume fraction of CB), which is much lower than many other electrically conductive polymers. When applying a voltage of 30V, the shape recovery process of SMP/CB(10 vol%) can be realized in about 100s. In addition, the thermomechanical properties are also characterized by differential scanning calorimetery (DSC).


RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (81) ◽  
pp. 66476-66486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dibyendu Das ◽  
Sumyra Sidiq ◽  
Santanu Kumar Pal

Liquid crystals offer a promising approach to study and quantify the interactions between different bacterial cell membrane components with endotoxin at an aqueous interface.


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