Erythrocyte Ghost Membranes Research Articles

Mechanism of hemolysis of human erythrocytes exposed to monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Preliminary characterization of membrane pores

Microcrystals of monosodium urate monohydrate (MSUM) have the ability to cause rapid hemolysis of erythrocytes. The nature of the initial MSUM crystal-erythrocyte membrane binding interaction was investigated over a range of different ionic strength media. There was negligible binding of MSUM to erythrocyte ghost membranes in low ionic strength media such as isotonic mannitol but binding was dramatically increased in isotonic NaCl/mannitol solutions or isotonic mannitol containing 1 mM Ca 2+. Hemolysis induced by MSUM crystals was preceded by the leakage of K + from the cells suggesting a colloid-osmotic mechanism of hemolysis. The inclusion of large (oligosaccharide) molecules in the extracellular media or the modulation of the extracellular solution tonicity inhibited both the rate and extent of hemolysis supporting the concept of MSUM-induced pores followed by colloid osmotic hemolysis.

Membrane lipid peroxidation as a mechanism of sonodynamically induced erythrocyte lysis.

Sonodynamically induced lipid peroxidation with haematoporphyrin (Hp) was studied using rat erythrocytes. Both suspensions of erythrocyte ghosts and of intact erythrocytes were exposed to ultrasound in the same way in the presence and absence of Hp (80 microM). The lipid peroxidation in erythrocyte ghost membranes was estimated by measuring the amount of reactive substance produced from thiobarbituric acid added immediately after the exposure. Haematoporphyrin multiplied the ultrasonically induced lipid peroxidation by three to five times, while Hp alone showed no peroxidation. A 24-h interval between the exposure and the preparation for measurement did not increase the measured amount of peroxide. In the presence of Hp the estimated peroxidation rate and the rate of erythrocyte lysis correlated quite well for each acoustic condition and for each chemical condition such as the presence or absence of active oxygen scavengers in the suspension. The sonodynamically induced lipid peroxidation with Hp was doubled by deuterium oxide substitution for suspension medium and was significantly reduced by histidine, by sodium azide, and also by nitrogen substitution for saturation gas, whereas superoxide dismutase and mannitol showed no significant inhibitory effect. These results are consistent with a hypothesis that lipid peroxidation in membranes by singlet oxygen is the primary mechanism of sonodynamically induced erythrocyte lysis with Hp.

New Antioxidant Isolated from Tempeh

Dried tempeh is known to be significantly stable to lipid oxidation compared with unfermented soybeans (BS). A new antioxidant was isolated from the methanol extract of tempeh and identified as 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (HAA) by UV, IR, EI-MS, and 1H-, 13C-, HMQC-, and HMBC-NMR techniques. HAA was effective in preventing autoxidation of soybean oil and soybean powder, while 6,7,4‘-trihydroxyisoflavone (a well-known antioxidant) was not. HAA also exhibited strong antioxidative activity in both water/ethanol and rabbit erythrocyte membrane ghost systems. HAA was not found in BS, but was produced during the incubations with Rhizopus oligosporus IFO 32002 and 32003. The amount of HAA reached a maximum at the stage of 2 days (acceptable), which had the strongest antioxidative activity. Keywords: Tempeh; fermented soybean product; antioxidant; 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid

Dynamic structure of the calmodulin-binding domain of the plasma membrane Ca-ATPase in native erythrocyte ghost membranes.

We have used frequency-domain fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and anisotropy measurements to identify the structural properties of wheat germ calmodulin (CaM) bound to either the plasma membrane Ca-ATPase (PM-Ca-ATPase) in native erythrocyte ghost membranes or a peptide (C25W) that has an identical sequence to the CaM-binding domain on the PM-Ca-ATPase. Cross-linking experiments using benzophenone labeled CaM in conjunction with immunoblots using antibodies specific for either CaM or the PM-Ca-ATPase indicate that one molecule of CaM selectively binds one PM-Ca-ATPase polypeptide chain in native erythrocyte ghost membranes. There are no other proteins in the erythrocyte membrane that bind CaM with high affinity, permitting the measurement of the structural properties of CaM bound to the PM-Ca-ATPase in native erythrocyte ghost membranes. FRET measurements between the fluorophore pyrene maleimide (PMal) located at Cys27 in calcium binding loop I and nitrotyrosine139 in calcium binding loop IV on wheat germ CaM indicate that the average spatial separation and conformational heterogeneity associated with the two opposing globular domains of CaM are virtually identical upon CaM binding to either the PM-Ca-ATPase or C25W. Measurements of the solvent accessibility and segmental rotational dynamics of PMal-CaM bound to either the PM-Ca-ATPase or C25W further indicate that the local environment around the pyrene label located at Cys27 is very similar. However, the overall rotational dynamics of CaM bound to the PM-Ca-ATPase is much slower (phi 2 = 83 +/- 14 ns) than observed when CaM binds C25W (phi 2 = 10.3 +/- 0.5 ns). This implies that CaM is tightly associated with the CaM-binding domain of the PM-Ca-ATPase and that the observed rotational motion of pyrenylmaleimide labeled CaM is characteristic of the global motion of the CaM-binding domain on the PM-Ca-ATPase. The similar conformational heterogeneity and local environment of CaM bound to either the PM-Ca-ATPase or C25W indicates that CaM binds to a contiguous sequence of amino acids on the Ca-ATPase that are analogous to C25W and that there are no significant interactions with other structural elements within the PM-Ca-ATPase. The rate of rotational motion associated with CaM bound to the PM-Ca-ATPase is consistent with hydrodynamic calculation in which the calmodulin-binding domain located at the carboxyl-terminus of the PM-Ca-ATPase has a stable and defined tertiary structure that is independent of the other cytoplasmic domains of the PM-Ca-ATPase.

Enzymatic reducibility in relation to cytotoxicity for various cholesterol hydroperoxides.

Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPX) is a selenoenzyme that can catalyze the direct reduction of various membrane lipid hydroperoxides and by so doing could play a vital role in cytoprotection against peroxidative damage. The activity of purified testicular PHGPX on several photochemically-generated cholesterol hydroperoxide (ChOOH) species was investigated, using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection for peroxide analysis and thinlayer chromatography with 14C-radiodetection for diol product analysis. The following ChOOH isomers were monitored: 5 alpha-OOH, 6 alpha-OOH, 6 beta-OOH (singlet oxygen adducts), and unresolved 7 alpha,7 beta-OOH (derived from 5 alpha-OOH rearrangement). Apparent first-order rate constants for GSH/PHGPX-induced peroxide loss (or diol accumulation) in Triton X-100 micelles, unilamellar liposomes, or erythrocyte ghost membranes increased in the following order: 5 alpha-OOH < 6 alpha-OOH approximately equal to 7 alpha,7 beta-OOH < 6beta-OOH. A similar trend was observed when the peroxides were incubated with Triton Iysates of Se-replete L1210 or K562 cells, implicating PHGPX in these reactions. Consistent with this, there was little or no ChOOH reduction if GSH was omitted or if lysates from Se-deprived cells were used. Liposomal 5 alpha-OOH was found to be much more cytotoxic than equimolar liposomal 6 beta-OOH, producing a 50% loss of L1210 clonogenicity at approximately 1/5 the concentration of the latter. Faster uptake of 5 alpha-OOH was ruled out as the basis for greater cytotoxicity, suggesting that relatively inefficient metabolism by the GSH/PHGPX system might be the reason. As supporting evidence, it was found that cells accumulate the diol reduction product of 5 alpha-OOH more slowly than that of 6 beta-OOH during incubation with the respective peroxides. Slow detoxification coupled with rapid formation makes 5 alpha-OOH potentially the most damaging ChOOH to arise in cells exposed to singlet oxygen.

Effects of calcium channel blockers on human erythrocyte ghost membranes

The effects of calcium channel blockers (CAB’s), verapamil, diltiazem and nicardipine, on erythrocyte ghost membranes have been studied. Using the fluorospectroscopic method, it was observed that the fluidity of the inner layer of ghost membranes was increased with an increase of drug concentrations but did not any changes in the fluidity of the outer layer. These drugs showed protective effect against hypotonic hemolysis of erythrocytes. Thus, the expansion of surface area in response to corpuscular volume of erythrocytes in the presence of CAB’s is seemed to play an important role in protecting hypotonic hemolysis of erythrocytes.

Membrane skeleton restraint of surface shape change during fusion of erythrocyte membranes: evidence from use of osmotic and dielectrophoretic microforces as probes

The role of the spectrin-based membrane skeleton in cell fusion was studied by following the condition-dependent diameter versus time expansion signature of the fusion zone in electrofused pairs of erythrocyte ghost membranes. Previous work showed that the presence of the dielectrophoresis-inducing alternating electric field, which is used to bring membranes into contact through pearl chain formation, had a detectable promoting effect on fusion zone expansion. Two new dielectrophoresis protocols were used in the present work to utilize this externally generated and controllable microforce field to probe the forces intrinsic to the system that drives the expansion of the fusion zone. First, fusion zones expanded to a greater diameter in a strong AC field compared to a weak AC field, and they expanded to a greater diameter if erythrocyte ghosts received a prior heat treatment (42 degrees C, 20 min). Furthermore, flat diaphragm fusion zones broke down into open lumen fusion zones sooner (i.e., had shorter lifetimes) when they were expanding more quickly. Second, changing the AC field strength at specific times during the fusion zone expansion led to an immediate visco-elastic response. However, shifting the AC field strength to zero after 5 s of fusion zone expansion resulted in a subsequent decrease in the average fusion zone diameter. This suggests not only that the spectrin-based membrane skeleton actually tends to prevent the rounding up process but that it may be capable of generating an antirounding force, which has broad implications for the role of the membrane skeleton in cell fusion. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that flat diaphragm fusion zones induced in heat-treated membranes were very easily stretched and that membrane-based forces that control or drive the expansion process must originate from membrane area that is outside rather than inside the fusion zone. Lastly, when an outward-directed osmotic pressure-based microforce was present at the time that erythrocyte ghosts were fused, the fusion zone diameter underwent a greater expansion in the 0-1 s interval after fusion. This suggests that an osmotic pressure-based microforce can be used to experimentally calibrate the dielectrophoretic force.

Millisecond measurement of transport during and after an electroporation pulse

Electroporation involves the application of an electric field pulse that creates transient aqueous pathways in lipid bilayer membranes. Transport through these pathways can occur by different mechanisms during and after a pulse. To determine the time scale of transport and the mechanism(s) by which it occurs, efflux of a fluorescent molecule, calcein, across erythrocyte ghost membranes was measured with a fluorescence microscope photometer with millisecond time resolution during and after electroporation pulses several milliseconds in duration. One of four outcomes was typically observed. Ghosts were: (1) partially emptied of calcein, involving efflux primarily after the pulse; (2) completely emptied of calcein, involving efflux primarily after the pulse; (3) completely emptied of calcein, involving efflux both during and after the pulse; or (4) completely emptied of calcein, involving efflux primarily during the pulse. Partial emptying, involving significant efflux during the pulse, was generally not observed. We conclude that under some conditions transport caused by electroporation occurs predominantly by electrophoresis and/or electroosmosis during a pulse, although under other conditions transport occurs in part or almost completely by diffusion within milliseconds to seconds after a pulse.

Modification of Chloride Ion Transport in Human Erythrocyte Ghost Membranes by Photoaffinity Labeling Reagents Based on the Structure of 5-Nitro-2-(3-Phenylpropylamino)-benzoic Acid (NPPB)

Using human red blood cell ghost membranes, we have evaluated 5-nitro-2-[N-3-(4-azidophenyl)-propylamino]-benzoic acid and 5-nitro-2-[N-3-(4-azido-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl)-propylamino]-benzoic acid (FAzNPPB) as photoaffinity labeling agents based on the structure of the widely important Cl− channel blocker 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropyl-amino)-benzoic acid (NPPB). The tetrafluoro-substituted aryl azide was found to be a more effective photoinactivating agent than the corresponding protio compound. Using a tritiated version ([3H]FAzNPPB), we demonstrated that photoinactivation of Cl− flux was accompanied by photolabeling of the band 3 protein and membrane lipids. Both processes were diminished in the presence of NPPB and the related arylanthranilate flufenamic acid. Photolabeling resulted in the incorporation of 1.0 ± 0.2 mol 3H/mol protein in the band 3 integral membrane domain, whereas the cytoplasmic domain was essentially unlabeled, By sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, photolabeling was found to be the result of partial labeling of at least three different regions of the membrane domain, Based on trypsin proteolysis, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, it is proposed that one of the sites of photolabeling is the peptide lys-phe-lys (590-592), FAzNPPB is a successful polyfluoro aryl azide photoaffinity labeling agent which may be of further use in studying the diverse effects of arylanthranilates on biological membranes.

Potent inhibition of viral fusion by the lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania donovani

Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is an amphiphile produced by Leishmania. Its chemical structure consists of a hydrophilic flexible polymer of repeating PO4-6Gal beta 1-4Man alpha 1 units (on average 16 units) linked via a hexasaccharide core to a lyso-1-O-alkyl-P1 membrane anchor. In the study of viral fusion we report in this paper, we have introduced LPG into human erythrocyte ghost (HEG) membranes, with the purpose of understanding how the LPG-induced surface-structural changes may modulate the interactions between a viral envelope and the HEG membranes. We have found that LPG, when incorporated at very low concentrations into intact human erythrocyte membranes, strongly inhibits Sendai virus-induced hemolysis. When incorporated into HEGs, it reduces the binding of both Sendai and influenza viruses to HEGs; furthermore, it strongly inhibits the overall viral fusion to HEGs, being among the most potent known inhibitors. We have also shown that LPG stabilizes the bilayer structure of phosphatidylethanolamine against the formation of an inverted-hexagonal structure. We suggest that LPG may give rise to an effective "steric repulsion" between the viral and HEG membranes, thereby modulating some specific modes of interaction between viral-target membranes in the overall fusion process; LPG may also modulate the bending rigidity and the spontaneous curvature of the HEG membrane in the direction of making the destabilization and rearrangement of the underlying lipid bilayer more difficult.

Antioxidative activity of tetrahydrocurcuminoids.

In order to develop a new type of antioxidative compound which has both the phenolic and beta-diketone moiety in the same molecule, we converted three known curcuminoids, curcumin (diferuloylmethane, U1), (4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamoyl)methane (U2), and bis-(4-hydroxycinnamoyl)methane (U3), which are the natural antioxidants of Curcuma longa L. (tumeric), to tetrahydrocurcuminoids (THU1, THU2, and THU3, respectively) by hydrogenation, and evaluated their antioxidative activity by using linoleic acid as the substrate in an ethanol/water system. Further, we used the rabbit erythrocyte membrane ghost and rat liver microsome as in vitro systems and determined the antioxidative activity of these curcuminoids. When we evaluated their antioxidative activity by these assays, it was found that THU1 had the strongest antioxidative activity among all curcuminoids in each assay system. THU1 has been reported to be one of the main metabolites of U1 in vivo [Holder et al., Xenobiotica, 8, 761-768 (1978)]. These results suggest that THU1 must play an important role in the antioxidative mechanism of U1 in vivo by converting U1 into THU1.

Altered membrane microviscosity in essential hypertension

To investigate the alterations in erythrocyte ghost membrane microviscosity in essential hypertensive patients and to determine the relationship between these changes and the sodium-lithium countertransport activity as a sensitive marker of membrane function. Forty-three normolipidaemic essential hypertensive patients (23 treated, 20 untreated) and 27 normotensive controls were studied. Patients were attending the hospital hypertension clinic or a local general practitioner's surgery. Erythrocyte sodium-lithium countertransport activity was measured. The Michaelis constant (Km) for extracellular sodium and maximal reaction velocity for sodium-lithium countertransport were measured in a subgroup consisting of 22 essential hypertensive patients and 11 normotensive controls. Erythrocyte membrane microviscosity was measured using fluorescence polarization anisotropy of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and 1-[4-trimethylammoniumphenyl]-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH). There was no significant difference in the fluorescence polarization anisotropy of DPH or TMA-DPH between normotensive and essential hypertensive patients. However, the fluorescence polarization anisotropy of TMA-DPH was increased significantly (reflecting increased membrane microviscosity) in hypertensive patients with a family history of hypertension compared with in patients without a family history of hypertension. The standard sodium-lithium countertransport activity was elevated in essential hypertensive patients compared with normotensive controls, and the Km for sodium was significantly lower in patients with a family history of hypertension than in patients without a family history of hypertension. Patients with a family history of hypertension were clustered, with significantly lower Km for sodium and higher TMA-DPH anisotropies than either hypertensive patients without a family history of hypertension or normotensive controls. These findings suggest that a high membrane microviscosity affecting the outer region of the lipid bilayer is associated with altered sodium-lithium countertransport kinetics in a subgroup of essential hypertensive patients consisting of those with a family history of hypertension.

Membrane fluidity is different in intact erythrocytes and ghost membranes.

The fluorescence anisotropy of 1,6-diphenylhexatriene (DPH) and trimethylammonium-DPH in the membranes of intact human erythrocytes and ghost membranes was compared. The anisotropy of fluorophores is significantly higher in intact erythrocytes compared to that in ghost membranes. Perturbation of membranes by heating at 47 degrees C and use of a rotating stirrer affected the anisotropy of fluorophores in intact erythrocytes only. These results suggest that: (a) spectrin has a significant modulating effect on membrane fluidity, and (b) the physical properties of the cell membrane are different between intact erythrocytes and erythrocyte ghost membranes.

40 ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE STUDY OF ERYTHROCYTE CELL MEMBRANES IN A CASE OF HALLERVORDEN-SPATZ DISEASE WITH ACANTHOCYTOSIS

The electron spin resonance (ESR) technique was used to study the erythrocyte cell membrane skeletal network in a case of Hallervorden-Spatz disease (HSD) with acanthocytosis. Our aim was to determine whether the erythrocyte morphological abnormality was due to changes in cell membrane structure. The patient, a 9-year old girl, showed progressive spastic diplegia with equinovarus foot posture, generalized dystonia, dysarthria and mental deterioration. Investigations revealed pigmentary retinopathy, vacuole inclusions in bone marrow cytosomes, low levels of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase and acanthocytosis with normal serum lipoproteins. The diagnosis of HSD was made on the basis of magnetic resonance evidence of iron deposits in the pallidal nuclei (eye-of-the-tiger sign). ESR study was performed using the protein-SH-specific nitroxide radical 4-maleimide-2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-l-oxyl. This was checked by evaluating the W/S ratio between the ESR spectrum intensity of weakly immobilized -SH groups (W) and of strongly immobilized -SH groups (S) in erythrocyte ghost membranes. The ESR spectra were recorded on a Bruker 200tt spectrometer operating in the X-band. Ten healthy, 8-10 year old children were used as controls. Erythrocyte ghost membranes of the patient had a higher W/S ratio (6.54) than those of controls (5.63 ± 0.35; mean ± SD; median: 5.56) demonstrating an increased availability of SH mobile groups from membrane proteins. The high W/S ratio suggests important variations in the state of the skeletal protein network erythrocyte cell membrane. These structural abnormalities of the cell membrane may explain the acanthocytosis which could be a consequence of reduced erythrocyte antioxidant power due to low GSH-Px activity.

A study on the absorption mechanism of drugs through biomembranes

The effect of lipophilicity on the mechanisms of drug absorption through biomembranes was investigated employing HPLC system and the fluorescence technique. Human erythrocyte ghost membranes were used as a model biomembrane. A series of four parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were used as the model drugs for lipophilicities and their partition coefficients were measured in Sorensen’s phosphate buffer solution (pH 5)/octanol system. Absorption amount of parabens through erythrocyte ghost membranes increased with an increase of lipophilicity resulted from the addition of methylene group to the n-alkyl chain of parabens. And the effect of parabens on the fluidity of ghost membrane also increased with an increase of their lipophilicities.

Erythrocyte membrane lateral sterol domains: A dehydroergosterol fluorescence polarization study

Structural domains of cholesterol and their regulation in the erythrocyte membrane are poorly understood. Dehydroergosterol fluorescence polarization change was used to continuously monitor the kinetics of sterol exchange and sterol domain size in erythrocyte ghost membranes. Direct correlation between molecular sterol exchange and steady-state dehydroergosterol fluorescence polarization measurements was obtained without separation of donor and acceptor membranes. Three important observations were made. First, sterol exchange between small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) with the same cholesterol/phospholipid ratio as the erythrocyte membrane (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol = 1:1) was resolved into three kinetic cholesterol domains: 23 +/- 9% of total sterol was rapidly exchangeable, with t1/2 = 23 +/- 6 min; 59 +/- 9% of total sterol was slowly exchangeable, with t1/2 = 135 +/- 3 min; and 19 +/- 9% of total sterol was essentially nonexchangeable, with a t1/2 of days. Second, the substitution of erythrocyte ghosts for SUV as an acceptor significantly altered the kinetic parameters of sterol exchange from donor SUV, graphically showing that both the properties of the acceptor and spontaneous desorption of cholesterol from the donor SUV influenced spontaneous cholesterol transfer. Third, studies of exchange between erythrocyte ghosts revealed multiple kinetic pools of sterol differing from those in the SUV: 4 +/- 2% of total sterol was rapidly exchangeable, with t1/2 = 32 +/- 9 min; 29 +/- 3% of total sterol was very slowly exchangeable, with t1/2 = 23 +/- 7 h; and a surprisingly large 67 +/- 2% of total sterol was nonexchangeable, with a t1/2 of days.

Hemolysis and deformability of erythrocytes exposed to butoxyacetic acid, a metabolite of 2-butoxyethanol: I. Sensitivity in rats and resistance in normal humans.

The effects of butoxyacetic acid (BAA), a metabolite of the important solvent 2-butoxyethanol, on rat and human red blood cells (RBCs) were investigated. Rat RBCs demonstrated decreased deformability as assessed by a sensitive polycarbonate sieve filtration technique and an increased mean cellular volume after incubation with 0.2 and 2.0 mM BAA for 1-4 h. Evaluation of erythrocyte morphology showed that rat RBCs exposed to BAA became spherocytic and lysed to form erythrocyte membrane ghosts. Hemolysis of rat erythrocytes was rapid in 2.0 mM BAA. Changes in the deformability of rat erythrocytes appear to precede hemolysis. Treated rat erythrocytes also demonstrated a tendency to agglutinate and to release hemoglobin, which formed visible precipitates. None of the adverse effects seen in the RBCs of rats were observed in human blood similarly incubated with 2.0 mM BAA.

Antioxidative and antimutagenic effects of theaflavins from black tea

Theaflavins polyphernolic ingredients of black tea, were observed to inhibit in vitro lipid peroxidation in the erythrocyte membrane ghost and microsomal systems. Theaflavins also showed inhibition of DNA single-strand cleavage and mutagenicity, both induced by hydrogen peroxide. These results suggest that theaflavins scavenge radicals to produce antioxidative and antimutagenic effects. It was also found that the gallic acid moiety of theaflavins is essential for their potent antioxidative activities.

Toxicity of liposomes containing low mol% of dienoyl phosphocholine to blood: use of carboxymethyl chitin to reduce toxicity.

Toxic effects of liposomes composed of the synthetic lipid, 1,2-bis(octadeca-2,4-dienoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C18DENPC) and cholesterol (Cho) were studied. In the present work, we have explored, 1) fusion between C18DENPC/Cho-liposomes and erythrocyte ghost (EG) membranes with resonance energy transfer assay, 2) hemolysis induced by C18DENPC/Cho-liposomes and 3) turbidity changes in native plasma on contact with C18DENPC/Cho-liposomes, in the presence or absence of carboxymethyl chitin (CM-chitin). In the absence of CM-chitin, extents of fusion, hemolysis and turbidity changes in native plasma increased with the decrease in C18DENPC content. In the presence of CM-chitin at a concentration of 10(-3) or 10(-2)% (w/v), fusion of C18DENPC/Cho-liposome with EG was inhibited. Extents of hemolysis and turbidity changes in native plasma induced by C18DENPC/Cho-liposomes were reduced depending upon CM chitin concentration.

A ring-shaped structure with a crown formed by streptolysin O on the erythrocyte membrane.

Streptolysin O (SLO) is a membrane-damaging toxin produced by most strains of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci. We performed ultrastructural analysis of SLO-derived lesions on erythrocyte membranes by examining electron micrographs of negatively stained preparations. SLO formed numerous arc- and ring-shaped structures with or without holes on membranes. Rings formed on intact cell membranes had an inner diameter of ca. 24 nm and had distinct borders of ca. 4.9 nm in width, but the diameter of rings varied from 24 to 30 nm on membranes of erythrocyte ghosts. Image analysis of electron micrographs demonstrated that each ring was composed of an inner and an outer layer. Each layer contained an array of 22 to 24 SLO molecules. On the top of the ring, we found a characteristic crown that projected from the cell membrane. The crown was separated by an electron-dense layer from the basal part of the ring that was embedded in the lipid bilayer of the erythrocyte membrane. Heights of the three parts, namely, the crown (head), the space (neck), and the basal portion (base), were ca. 3.2, 1.6, and 5.0 nm, respectively, and we postulated that these parts are the constituents of a single SLO molecule. The volumes of SLO molecules in the inner and outer layers were calculated to be 77 and 88 nm3. On the basis of a model of the structure of SLO, we propose some new details of the mechanisms of hemolysis by SLO toxin.