Very young reticulocytes are released into the circulation in response to the stress of anemia. These stress reticulocytes have shortened in vivo survival when transfused into normal recipients, and are generally considered to be abnormal because they have skipped a terminal cell division. We reevaluated one aspect of their abnormality: that of in vivo survival. Using methodology that accounted for all cells transfused, in vivo survival of both normal and stress reticulocytes was investigated in both normal and anemic recipients. The experiments demonstrate that: (1) survival of reticulocytes is normal only when normal reticulocytes are injected into nonanemic animals; (2) intrinsic properties of stress reticulocytes lead to their immediate removal from the circulation by normal recipients to a significantly greater extent than by anemic recipients; and (3) both stress and normal reticulocytes are removed at an accelerated rate over time by anemic recipients. Taken together, the data indicate that in the course of becoming anemic, an adaptation occurs that allows cells produced during anemia to circulate considerably longer in anemic animals than they could in normal nonanemic animals. Other studies disclosed that increased reticulocyte survival in anemic animals could not be attributed to reticuloendothelial overload, but is induced by adaptation of the spleen, decreasing its removal of stress reticulocytes.
Studies of reticulocyte maturation have been limited by the inability to obtain pure populations of age-synchronized reticulocytes and by the absence of well-defined methods for the maturation of reticulocytes in vitro. Many of these problems were overcome using temporary suppression of erythropoiesis with thiamphenicol and phlebotomy resulting in a highly reproducible reticulocyte response, Percoll density gradient separation of cells yielding essentially pure populations of age- synchronized reticulocytes, and liquid culture techniques where cell lysis is minimal. The system allows reproducible study of well-defined cohorts of reticulocytes as they mature into erythrocytes. During in vitro maturation we serially monitored changes in reticulocyte count, glucose consumption, 125I-transferrin binding, fluorescein (FITC)- labeled transferrin binding, the activities of four erythrocyte enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, phosphofructokinase, and lactate dehydrogenase) and the appearance of cells on scanning electron microscopy. These variables changed at different rates suggesting that multiple mechanisms underlie these maturational events. Transferrin binding and reticulocyte count decreased most rapidly and reached values near zero after three to four days in culture. The four enzyme activities decreased much more slowly, and only two reached pretreatment values after seven days in culture. In contrast to the findings of others, scanning electron microscopy suggested that cells do not assume the normal biconcave shape in this system. The methods described make it feasible to study the process of reticulocyte maturation in vitro. The data presented represent a first step in the study of the coordination and interrelationships of various maturational processes.
We evaluated the erythrocytes of two patients with hereditary pyrimidine 5′-nucleotidase deficiency. Significant findings included an increased reduced glutathione content, increased incubated Heinz body formation, a positive ascorbate cyanide test, and decreased intraerythrocytic pH. The pentose phosphate shunt activity of the patients' red cells as measured by the release of 14CO2 from 14C-1- glucose was decreased compared to high reticulocyte controls. Glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity in hemolysates from control erythrocytes was inhibited 43% by 5.5 mM cytidine 5′-triphosphate (CTP) and 50% by 5.5 mM in uridine 5′-triphosphate (UTP) at pH 7.1. CTP was a competitive inhibitor for G6P (Ki = 1.7 mM) and a noncompetitive inhibitor for NADP+ (Ki = 7.8 mM). Glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were not affected by these compounds. Pentose phosphate shunt activity in control red cell hemolysate at pH 7.1 was inhibited to a similar degree by 5.5 mM CTP or UTP. Since the intracellular concentrations of G6P and NADP+ are below their KmS for G6PD, these data suggest that high concentrations of pyrimidine 5′-nucleotides depress pentose phosphate shunt activity in pyrimidin 5′-nucleotidase deficiency. Thus, this impairment of the pentose phosphate pathway appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of hemolysis in pyrimidine 5′-nucleotidase deficiency hemolytic anemia.
The genetic locus designated Dpg has two alleles in outbred Long-Evans rats. Genotype at this locus affects quantities of red cell 2,3- diphosphoglycerate (DPG) and adenosine triphosphate, as well as activities of two important glycolytic enzymes: phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase. Intravascular red cell survival is shortened in low- DPG animals. In order to get closer to the specific action of this locus, we addressed the question of whether the Dpg gene acts through intracorpuscular or extracorpuscular factors. Bone marrow transplantation after total body irradiation and 51Cr red cell survival after cross transfusion were the methods used. Because the animals that were used differed in hemoglobin phenotype, donor and recipient cells could be quantified in cross-transplanted animals. Phenotypic markers of Dpg genotype were measured in animals 40 to 50 days after transplantation. Values for these markers correlated highly with the percentage of donor and recipient cells present. In vivo survival of low-DPG red cells was significantly shorter than that of high-DPG cells (P less than .05), regardless of the genotype of the recipient. From the present studies, we conclude that the action of the Dpg gene is exerted by an intracorpuscular factor.
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