Effects of inherited membrane abnormalities on the viscoelastic properties of erythrocyte membrane

Jargon and the Passive Voice: Prescriptions and Proscriptions for Scientific Writing

Prescriptions for scientific writing about jargon and the passive voice are based on principles of writing presumed to be universal. They do not take into account that language varies with rhetorical setting, that scientists report their research to peer scientists, and that simplification of scientific language is more often translation than synonymy. Jargon, i.e., scientific terminology, is essential for designating new entities for which the language has no name. It makes for economy and for the accuracy and precision required in scientific research. The passive voice is unavoidable because scientists focus on the subject of their research as objects. The proscription of the passive voice and scientific jargon is rooted in the expectation that scientists write so as to be understood by the general reader.

Biomechanical properties of red blood cells in health and disease towards microfluidics

Red blood cells (RBCs) possess a unique capacity for undergoing cellular deformation to navigate across various human microcirculation vessels, enabling them to pass through capillaries that are smaller than their diameter and to carry out their role as gas carriers between blood and tissues. Since there is growing evidence that red blood cell deformability is impaired in some pathological conditions, measurement of RBC deformability has been the focus of numerous studies over the past decades. Nevertheless, reports on healthy and pathological RBCs are currently limited and, in many cases, are not expressed in terms of well-defined cell membrane parameters such as elasticity and viscosity. Hence, it is often difficult to integrate these results into the basic understanding of RBC behaviour, as well as into clinical applications. The aim of this review is to summarize currently available reports on RBC deformability and to highlight its association with various human diseases such as hereditary disorders (e.g., spherocytosis, elliptocytosis, ovalocytosis, and stomatocytosis), metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity), adenosine triphosphate-induced membrane changes, oxidative stress, and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Microfluidic techniques have been identified as the key to develop state-of-the-art dynamic experimental models for elucidating the significance of RBC membrane alterations in pathological conditions and the role that such alterations play in the microvasculature flow dynamics.

Osmotic swelling and hole formation in membranes of thalassemic and spherocytic erythrocytes

Osmotic swelling and kinetics of the pore formation in the membranes of spherocytic, thalassemic, and normal erythrocytes were studied by measuring the time-dependent capacitance and conductance at a frequency of 0.2 MHz. No significant difference between the swelling rate of control and spherocytic cells was observed, whereas slower kinetics of swelling were found for thalassemic cells. Time records of the conductance indicate that the probability of the pore formation in the stretched membrances varies in the following order: thalassemia < control < spherocytosis. Based on these findings it was concluded that the erythrocyte swelling is controlled by the initial cell shape, volume, intracellular hemoglobin concentration, and elastic membrane properties, whereas the kinetics of the pore formation depend solely on the resistivity of the stretched membrane of the swollen RBC to the osmotic shock. Therefore, it was assumed that investigations of the pore formation may be used not only for examinations of spherocytic and thalassemic cells, but also for normocytic, normochromic, biconcave-shaped RBCs with altered membrane elasticity.

Influence of network topology on the elasticity of the red blood cell membrane skeleton

A finite-element network model is used to investigate the influence of the topology of the red blood cell membrane skeleton on its macroscopic mechanical properties. Network topology is characterized by the number of spectrin oligomers per actin junction (phi a) and the number of spectrin dimers per self-association junction (phi s). If it is assumed that all associated spectrin is in tetrameric form, with six tetramers per actin junction (i.e., phi a = 6.0 and phi s = 2.0), then the topology of the skeleton may be modeled by a random Delaunay triangular network. Recent images of the RBC membrane skeleton suggest that the values for these topological parameters are in the range of 4.2 < phi a < 5.5 and 2.1 < phi s < 2.3. Model networks that simulate these realistic topologies exhibit values of the shear modulus that vary by more than an order of magnitude relative to triangular networks. This indicates that networks with relatively sparse nontriangular topologies may be needed to model the RBC membrane skeleton accurately. The model is also used to simulate skeletal alterations associated with hereditary spherocytosis and Southeast Asian ovalocytosis.

Conformation and elasticity of the isolated red blood cell membrane skeleton

We studied the structure and elasticity of membrane skeletons from human red blood cells (RBCs) during and after extraction of RBC ghosts with nonionic detergent. Optical tweezers were used to suspend individual cells inside a flow chamber, away from all surfaces; this procedure allowed complete exchange of medium while the low-contrast protein network of the skeleton was observed by high resolution, video-enhanced differential interference-contrast (DIC) microscopy. Immediately following extraction in a 5 mM salt buffer, skeletons assumed expanded, nearly spherical shapes that were uncorrelated with the shapes of their parent RBCs. Judging by the extent of thermal undulations and by their deformability in small flow fields, the bending rigidity of skeletons was markedly lower than that of either RBCs or ghosts. No further changes were apparent in skeletons maintained in this buffer for up to 40 min at low temperatures (T less than 10 degrees C), but skeletons shrank when the ionic strength of the buffer was increased. When the salt concentration was raised to 1.5 M, shrinkage remained reversible for approximately 1 min but thereafter became irreversible. When maintained in 1.5 M salt buffer for longer periods, skeletons continued to shrink, lost flexibility, and assumed irregular shapes: this rigidification was irreversible. At this stage, skeletons closely resembled those isolated in standard bulk preparations. We propose that the transformation to the rigid, irreversibly shrunken state is a consequence of spectrin dimer-dimer reconnections and that these structural rearrangements are thermally activated. We also measured the salt-dependent size of fresh and bulk extracted skeletons. Our measurements suggest that, in situ, the spectrin tethers are flexible, with a persistence length of approximately 10 nm at 150 mM salt.

Bioelectrorheological model of the cell. 3. Viscoelastic shear deformation of the membrane

An analytical electromechanical model of a spherical cell exposed to an alternating electric field was used to calculate shear stress generated in the cellular membrane. Shape deformation of Neurospora crassa (slime) spheroplasts was measured. Statistical analysis permitted empirical evaluation of creep of the cellular membrane within the range of infinitesimal stress. Final results were discussed in terms of various rheological models.

Local deformation of human red blood cells in high frequency electric field

A method of local and general deformation of single erythrocytes by external forces in high-frequency electric field is described. The method allows the avoidance of any mechanical contact of the cell with electrodes. Under the action of the forces applied human erythrocytes change their shape and produce various membrane structures: long filopodia-like processes, retraction fibers and lamella-like structures. These structures are never formed by erythrocytes under normal conditions, but are typical for fibroblasts, macrophages and epithelium cells. By the method developed the elastic properties of spicules on the membranes of echinocytes were also studied. Deformation of echinocyte in high-frequency electric field leads to the smoothing out of spicules. However, after the electric field is turned off, echinocyte restores its initial forms including the number and localization of all initial spicules on the cell surface.

A 4-GHz frequency-domain fluorometer with internal microchannel plate photomultiplier cross-correlation

We have developed and tested a multifrequency phase/modulation fluorometer based on the Hamamatsu Model R2024U gatable microchannel plate photomultiplier (MCP-PMT), using internal MCP-PMT cross-correlation. This internal mixing is accomplished by biasing and modulating the gating mesh which is located 0.2 mm behind the photocathode. Near the photocathode center, no high-frequency photocurrent modulation was achieved. Within a circular area near the photocathode edge, however, the R2024U allows accurate phase shift and demodulation measurements up to at least 4.5 GHz, the frequency limit of our PMT-modulation amplifier. By mixing immediately after the photocathode, there is no decrease in the time resolution due to transit time spread, and the MCP has to process only low-frequency signals. This means no low-level high-frequency signal voltages have to be handled in this fluorometer, and the problems of RF shielding become much less critical. Also, the effective output impedance of the PMT has been increased, resulting in a 43-dB increase in the PMT output signal power. In principle, more MCPs could be built into the PMT, allowing an improved fluorescence detection limit. We have used the method of reference fluorophores in order to compensate for pronounced PMT color effects, a wavelength-dependent modulation, and a wavelength-dependent time shift. No color correction is required in the case of time-dependent depolarization. The performance of the instrument was verified by measurements of the intensity decay of perylene, which showed a single-exponential decay, and by measurements of the decay of tryptophan in water, which showed a double-exponential decay, as expected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Local mechanical oscillations of the cell surface within the range 0.2-30 Hz

This paper describes transverse oscillations, within the range 0.2-30 Hz, of the surface of different animal cells: human and frog erythrocytes, human lymphocytes and monocytes, cultured 3T6 fibroblasts, and rat cardiomyocytes. The minimal area of the cell surface which undergoes unidirectional transverse movement is equal to or less than 0.5 x 0.5 microns. The amplitude of the oscillations recorded on larger surface areas is lower than on the smaller ones because of the averaging of solitary oscillations. The oscillation amplitude is different in different cells. The highest amplitude is recorded in human erythrocytes (350-400 nm), the lowest one, in fibroblasts, lymphocytes and monocytes (20-30 nm). The oscillations of the human erythrocyte are suppressed on hypotonic swelling, after hardening of the cell membrane owing to adsorption at the surface of the impermeable dye Heliogen Blue, by treatment of the cell with 0.01% glutaraldehyde, by treatment with 0.5 mM 4-hydroxy-mercurybenzoate, and after crenation caused by 1-2 mM 2,4-dinitrophenol. The amplitude of the surface oscillations is decreased in spectrin deficient erythrocytes obtained from patients with hereditary spherocytosis, which indicates an essential role for spectrin in the rapid oscillations of the erythrocyte surface.

Biophysical correlates of lysophosphatidylcholine- and ethanol-mediated shape transformation and hemolysis of human erythrocytes. Membrane viscoelasticity and NMR measurement

The effects of monopalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (MPPC or lysophosphatidylcholine) and a series of short-chain primary alcohols (ethanol, 1-butanol and 1-hexanol) on cell shape, hemolysis, viscoelastic properties and membrane lipid packing of human red blood cells (RBCs) were studied. For MPPC, the effective membrane concentration to induce the formation of stage 3 echinocytes (8 x 10(6) molecules per cell) was one order of magnitude lower than that needed to induce 50% hemolysis (7 x 10(7) molecules per cell). In contrast, short-chain alcohols induced both shape changes and hemolysis within close concentration range (2.5 x 10(8) to 3.5 x 10(8) molecules per cell). Viscoelastic properties of the RBCs were studied by micropipette aspiration and correlated with shape change. Ethanol-treated RBCs showed a decrease in membrane elastic modulus and an increase in membrane viscosity in the recovery phase at the early stage of shape change. MPPC-treated cells showed the same type of viscoelastic changes, but these were not observed until the formation of stage 2 echinocytes. High-resolution solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance technique was applied to study membrane lipid packing in the ghost membrane by following the chemical shift of hydrocarbon chains. Both MPPC and ethanol caused the 13C-NMR chemical shift to move upfield, indicating that membrane lipids were expanded due to the intercalation of these exogenous molecules. Using data obtained from model compounds, we convert values of chemical shift into a lipid packing parameter, i.e., number of gauche bonds for fatty acyl hydrocarbon chains. Approximately 10(8) interacting molecules per cell are required to induce a detectable change of lipid packing by both MPPC and ethanol. The results indicate that homolysis occurs at a smaller surface area for MPPC- than ethanol-treated RBCs. Our findings suggest that progressive changes in the molecular packing in the membrane lead eventually to hemolysis, but the mode responsible for shape transformation varies with these amphipaths.

The membrane skeleton of erythrocytes. A percolation model

The spectrin network on the cytoplasmic surface of the erythrocyte membrane is modeled as a triangular lattice of spectrin tetramers. This network obstructs lateral diffusion of proteins and provides mechanical reinforcement to the membrane. These effects are treated in a systematic and unified manner in terms of a percolation model. The diffusion coefficient is obtained as a function of the fraction of normal spectrin tetramers for both static and fluctuating barriers. The elasticity of the network is calculated as a function of the fraction of normal spectrin and the ratio of bending to stretching energies. For static barriers, elasticity and lateral diffusion are incompatible: if a network is connected enough to be elastic, it is connected enough to block long-range lateral diffusion. The elasticity and the force required for mechanical breakdown go to zero at the percolation threshold; experimental evidence suggests the existence of a stability threshold at or near the percolation threshold. The model is qualitatively applicable to other cells with membrane skeletons, such as epithelial cells, in which localization of membrane proteins is essential to differentiation.

Bending undulations and elasticity of the erythrocyte membrane: effects of cell shape and membrane organization

The undulatory excitations (flickering) of human and camel erythrocytes were evaluated by employing the previously used flicker spectroscopy and by local measurements of the autocorrelation function K (t) of the cell thickness fluctuations using a dynamic image processing technique. By fitting theoretical and experimental flicker spectra relative values of the bending elastic modulus Kc of the membrane and of the cytoplasmic viscosity eta were obtained. The effects of shape changes were monitored by simultaneous measurement of the average light intensity I0 passing the cells and by phase contrast microscopic observation of the cells. Evaluation of the cellular excitations in terms of the quasi-spherical model yielded values of Kc/R3(0) and mu.R0 (R0 = equivalent sphere radius) and allowed us to account (1) for volume changes, (2) for effects of surface tension and spontaneous curvature and (3) for the non-exponential decay of K (t). From the long time decay of K (t) we obtained an upper limit of the bending elastic modulus of normal cells of Kc = 2-3 x 10(-19) Nm which is an order of magnitude larger than the value found by reflection interference contrast microscopy (RICT, Kc = 3.4 x 10(-20) Nm, Zilker et al. 1987) but considerably lower than expected for a bilayer containing 50% cholesterol (Kc = 5 x 10(-19) Nm, Duwe et al. 1989). The major part of the paper deals with long time measurements (order of hours) of variations of the apparent Kc and eta values of single cells (and their reversibility) caused (1) by osmotic volume changes, (2) by discocyte-stomatocyte transitions induced by albumin and triflouperazine, (3) by discocyte-echinocyte transitions induced by expansion of the lipid/protein bilayer (by incubation with lipid vesicles) and by ATP-depletion in physiological NaCl solution, (4), by coupling or decoupling of bilayer and cytoskeleton using wheat germ agglutinin or erythrocytes with elliptocytosis and (5) by cross-linking the cytoskeleton using diamide. These experiments showed: (1) Kc and eta are minimal at physiological osmolarity and temperature and well controlled over a large range of these parameters. (2) Echinocyte formation does not markedly alter the apparent membrane bending stiffness. (3) During swelling the cell may undergo a transient discocyte-stomatocyte transition. (4) Strong increases of the apparent Kc and eta after cup-formation or strong swelling and deflation are due to the effect of shear elasticity and surface tension. Our major conclusions are: (1) The erythrocyte membrane exhibits a shear free deformation regime which requires ATP for its maintenance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Erythrocyte rheology

Two main subjects of erythrocyte rheology, deformation and aggregation, are discussed in detail, on the basis of biochemical structure. The close relationship between the life span (or cell aging) and the rheology of individual erythrocytes is also briefly described. A currently important problem is emphasized, that is, the molecular aspect of the dynamic cytoskeletal structure and the mechanism of its regulation. This concerns not only the rheological function and the survival of circulating erythrocytes, but also the pathophysiology of abnormal erythrocytes.

Thermal instability of red blood cell membrane bilayers: temperature dependence of hemolysis

Rates of human red blood cell hemolysis were measured as a function of temperature. Three distinct temperature intervals for hemolysis were noted: a) At temperatures equal to or less than 37 degrees C no hemolysis was observed for the duration of the incubation (30 hr). b) For temperatures exceeding 45 degrees C hemolysis rates are rapid and are accompanied by gross changes in cellular morphology. The activation energy for hemolysis is 80 kcal/mole; this value is characteristic of protein denaturation and enzyme inactivation suggesting that these processes contribute to hemolysis at these high temperatures. c) Between 38 and 45 degrees C the energy of activation is 29 kcal/mole, indicating that a fundamentally different process than protein inactivation is responsible for hemolysis at these relatively low temperatures. A mechanism based on the concept of the critical bilayer assembly temperature of cell membranes (N.L. Gershfeld, Biophys. J. 50:457-461, 1986) accounts for hemolysis at these relatively mild temperatures: The unilamellar state of the membrane is stable at 37 degrees C, but is transformed to a multibilayer when the temperature is raised; hemolysis results because formation of the multibilayer requires exposing lipid-free areas of the erythrocyte surface. An analysis of the activation energy for hemolysis is presented that is consistent with the proposed unilamellar-multibilayer transformation.

On the measurement of shear elastic moduli and viscosities of erythrocyte plasma membranes by transient deformation in high frequency electric fields

We present a new method to measure the shear elastic moduli and viscosities of erythrocyte membranes which is based on the fixation and transient deformation of cells in a high-frequency electric field. A frequency domain of constant force (arising by Maxwell Wagner polarization) is selected to minimize dissipative effects. The electric force is thus calculated by electrostatic principles by considering the cell as a conducting body in a dielectric fluid and neglecting membrane polarization effects. The elongation A of the cells perpendicular to their rotational axis exhibits a linear regime (A proportional to Maxwell tension or to square of the electric field E2) at small, and a nonlinear regime (A proportional to square root of Maxwell tension or to the electric field E) at large extensions with a cross-over at A approximately 0.5 micron. The nonlinearity leads to amplitude-dependent response times and to differences of the viscoelastic response and relaxation functions. The cells exhibit pronounced yet completely reversible tip formations at large extensions. Absolute values of the shear elastic modulus, mu, and membrane viscosity, eta, are determined by assuming that field-induced stretching of the biconcave cell may be approximately described in terms of a sphere to ellipsoid deformation. The (nonlinear) elongation-vs.-force relationship calculated by the elastic theory of shells agress well with the experimentally observed curves and the values of mu = 6.1 x 10(-6) N/m and eta = 3.4 x 10(-7) Ns/m are in good agreement with the micropipette results of Evans and co-workers. The effect of physical, biochemical, and disease-induced structural changes on the viscoelastic parameters is studied. The variability of mu and eta of a cell population of a healthy donor is +/- 45%, which is mainly due to differences in the cell age. The average mu value of cells of different healthy donors scatters by +/- 18%. Osmotic deflation of the cells leads to a fivefold increase of mu and 10-fold increase of eta at 500 mosm. The shear modulus mu increases with temperature showing that the cytoskeleton does not behave as a network of entropy elastic springs. Elliptic cells of patients suffering from elliptocytosis of the Leach phenotype exhibit a threefold larger value of mu than normal discocytes of control donors. Cross-linking of the spectrin by the divalent S-H agents diamide (1 mM, 15 min incubation) leads to an eightfold increase of mu whereas eta is essentially constant. The effect of diamide is reversed after treatment with S-S bond splitting agents.

Decreased membrane mechanical stability and in vivo loss of surface area reflect spectrin deficiencies in hereditary spherocytosis

Whereas marked variations in the clinical manifestations of hereditary spherocytosis have long been recognized, we have only recently begun to define the molecular basis for this heterogeneity. An important unanswered question is whether decreased spectrin results in reduced membrane mechanical stability, and if this reduction in membrane mechanical stability can be related to in vivo surface area loss. Using the ektacytometer, we quantitated membrane surface area and stability in erythrocytes from 18 individuals with hereditary spherocytosis and deficiencies of spectrin (30-80% of normal spectrin level). Membrane mechanical stability was reduced and the magnitude of the reductions correlated with the spectrin content. Moreover, the reductions in mechanical stability correlated with in vivo loss of membrane surface area. These data indicate that decreased spectrin content results in reduced membrane mechanical stability and surface area loss in vivo. We conclude that partial deficiencies of spectrin, reductions in membrane mechanical stability, and loss of membrane surface area are directly related and are major features determining the heterogeneous clinical manifestations of hereditary spherocytosis.

Reductions of erythrocyte membrane viscoelastic coefficients reflect spectrin deficiencies in hereditary spherocytosis

Hereditary spherocytosis is a common hemolytic anemia associated with deficiencies in spectrin, the principal structural protein of the erythrocyte membrane-skeleton. We have examined 20 different individuals from 10 spherocytosis kindreds and 2 elliptocytosis kindreds to determine the effects of different levels of spectrin deficiency on the viscoelastic properties of the erythrocyte membrane. Micropipettes were used to perform single-cell micromechanical measurements of approximately 1,000 individual cells to determine the membrane elastic shear modulus, the apparent membrane bending stiffness, and whole cell recovery time constant for the different cell populations. The membrane viscosity was calculated by the product of the shear modulus and the recovery time constant. Results show correlation between the fractional reduction in shear modulus and the fractional reduction in spectrin content (determined by spectrin radioimmunoassay) and spectrin density (determined by the ratios of spectrin to band 3 on electrophoresis gels) suggesting that membrane shear elasticity is directly proportional to the surface density of spectrin on the membrane (P less than 0.001). The apparent membrane bending stiffness is also reduced in proportion to the density of spectrin (P less than 0.001). The membrane viscosity is reduced relative to control (P less than 0.001), but the nature of the relationship between spectrin density and membrane viscosity is less clearly defined. These studies document striking relationships between partial deficiencies of erythrocyte spectrin and specific viscoelastic properties of the mutant membranes.

Effects of intracellular Ca2+ and proteolytic digestion of the membrane skeleton on the mechanical properties of the red blood cell membrane

Intracellular Ca2+ at concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 mumol/l increases the shear modulus of surface elasticity (mu) and the surface viscosity (eta) of human red blood cells by 20% and 70%, respectively. K+ selective channels in the red cell membrane become activated by Ca2+. The activation still occurs to the same extent when the membrane skeleton is degraded by incorporation of trypsin into resealed red cell ghosts, suggesting that the channel activation is not controlled by the proteins of the membrane skeleton and is independent of mu and eta. Incorporation of trypsin at concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 ng/ml into red cell ghosts leads to a graded digestion of spectrin, a cleavage of the band 3 protein and a release of the binding proteins ankyrin and band 4.1. These alterations are accompanied by an increase of the lateral mobility of the band 3 protein which, at 40 ng/ml trypsin, reaches a plateau value where the rate of lateral diffusion is enhanced by about two orders of magnitude above the rate measured in controls without trypsin. Proteolytic digestion by 10-20 ng/ml trypsin leads to a degradation of more than 40% of the spectrin and increases the rate of lateral diffusion to about 20-70% of the value observed at the plateau. Nevertheless, mu and eta remain virtually unaltered. However, the stability of the membrane is decreased to the point where a slight mechanical extension, or the shear produced by centrifugation results in disintegration and vesiculation, precluding measurements of eta and mu in ghosts treated with higher concentrations of trypsin. These findings indicate that alterations of the structural integrity of the membrane skeleton exert drastically different effects on mu and eta on the one hand and on the stability of the membrane on the other.