Abstract
During the past decade, the hand-in-hand development of biotechnology and bioinformatics has enabled a view of the function of the red blood cell that surpasses the supply of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide. Comparative proteomic inventories have yielded new clues to the processes that regulate membrane–cytoskeleton interactions in health and disease, and to the ways by which red blood cells communicate with their environment. In addition, proteomic data have revealed the possibility that many, hitherto unsuspected, metabolic processes are active in the red blood cell cytoplasm. Recent metabolomic studies have confirmed and expanded this notion. Taken together, the presently available data point towards the red blood cell membrane as the hub at which all regulatory processes come together. Thus, alterations in the association of regulatory proteins with the cell membrane may be a sine qua non for the functional relevance of any postulated molecular mechanism. From this perspective, comparative proteomics centered on the red blood cell membrane constitute a powerful tool for the identification and elucidation of the physiologically and pathologically relevant pathways that regulate red blood cell homeostasis. Additionally, this perspective provides a focus for the interpretation of metabolomic studies, especially in the development of biomarkers in the blood.
Highlights
The hand-in-hand development of biotechnology and bioinformatics has enabled a view of the function of the red blood cell that surpasses the supply of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide, as well as the known build up of its membrane that underlie its unique deformability
Such comparative proteomic inventories have yielded new clues to the processes that regulate membrane–cytoskeleton protein interactions, and to the ways by which red blood cells communicate with their environment, such as with the immune system during cellular aging in vivo
I argue here that, in the elucidation of the pathways involved in red blood cell-centered homeostasis, alterations in the association of regulatory proteins with the cell membrane constitute a sine qua non for the functional relevance of any postulated molecular mechanism
Summary
The hand-in-hand development of biotechnology and bioinformatics has enabled a view of the function of the red blood cell that surpasses the supply of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide, as well as the known build up of its membrane that underlie its unique deformability. Both are textbook examples of molecular structure–function relationships, and of the mechanisms of red blood cell-centered pathologies such as sickle cell disease and spherocytosis.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
