The cytosol-membrane interface of normal and sickle erythrocytes. Effect of hemoglobin deoxygenation and sickling.

Abstract

The effect of deoxygenation on the amount of hemoglobin (Hb) proximal to the membranes of intact, density-fractionated normal (AA) and sickle (SS) red cells was studied by estimating resonance energy transfer efficiencies from fluorescent probes, 12-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid or 2-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid, in the outer lipid layer to cytoplasmic hemes. For each density fraction, heme concentrations at the cytosol-membrane interface (hb) were derived from the probe decay rates for ghosts and intact cells, measured by front-face fluorometry, and compared with mean cell heme concentrations (hc). With AA cells, hb/hc varied little with cell density; a 33% drop in hb on deoxygenation is attributable to organic phosphate binding to deoxy-Hb. With oxy-SS cells, hb/hc increased with cell density to twice the values for AA cells, but SS ghosts showed no evidence of increased probe quenching by membrane-bound Hb. On deoxygenation, hb for each SS density fraction fell (reversibly) to one-third the oxy value. The finding that deoxy-HbS withdraws from the membrane bilipid layer much more than deoxy-HbA is consistent with evidence for an increased net negative charge on deoxy-HbS polymers and/or the suggestion that the cytoskeleton, readily penetrated by monomeric Hb, presents a barrier to polymeric HbS. Membrane-associated HbS is therefore thought to play an unimportant role in polymerization.