Red cells of newborn rats have low bisphosphoglyceromutase and high pyruvate kinase activities in association with low 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

2,3-Bisphosphoglycerate is a physiologically important regulator of red cell oxygen affinity during mammalian development. The rat has no fetal hemoglobin, but the newborn red cell has low 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate and high ATP concentrations, and high oxygen affinity. This report shows that red cell bisphosphoglyceromutase activity increases from near zero in the newborn rat to very high levels by four weeks of age. This increase roughly parallels the increase in red cell 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate concentration. Red cell pyruvate kinase activity declines ten-fold from birth to four weeks of age. This decrease is associated with a changeover in red cell populations from larger to smaller cells. The glycolytic rate is at least 50% higher in newborn than adult rat red cells. The data suggest that high pyruvate kinase activity and glycolytic rate contribute to the high ATP concentration in newborn rat red cells, but that their low 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate concentration is due primarily to low bisphosphoglyceromutase activity.