Red cell membrane proteins and lipids in spherocytosis.

Abstract

The protein and lipid content of erythrocyte membranes in 13 patients from 9 families with congenital or hereditary spherocytosis (HS) were studied.Lyophilized erythrocyte membrane proteins were solubilized using two different methods and analysed in two electrophoretic systems. On polyacrylamide gel electro‐phoresis with sodium dodecyl sulphate as solubilizing agent, the number of major protein bands detected was equal in both the HS patients and the controls. Likewise, no significant differences in the protein fractions from the two groups were seen using an electrophoretic system that gave better resolution of low‐molecular wt. proteins, although minor differences in distribution between the protein fractions were observed.The amount of lipid phosphorus and cholesterol in red cell ghosts from unsplenectomized patients with HS was lower than in normal erythrocyte membranes. The decrease in cholesterol content exceeded that of lipid phosphorus. A tendency to reattain control levels was observed after splenectomy. In patients splenectomized several years prior to the study membrane lipid concentrations were normal. A decrease in membrane lipids was also detected in a patient with spherocytosis due to autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and in out‐dated bank blood containing sphero‐cytic red cells; the ratio of cholesterol to lipid phosphorus was abnormally low in both these instances.Thus the alterations in red cell lipid components in spherocytes of varying origin may represent a phenomenon secondary to the abnormal red cell shape rather than being related to a specific etiological factor.