CALCIUM-DEPENDENT DIFFERENCES IN HISTOCHE MICAL EXPOSITION OF MEMBRANE-GLYCOPROTEINS IN ERYTHROCYTES OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS

The population of erythrocytes stained by aniline dye paraldehydefuchs in (PAF) in blood smears is heterogeneous. According to PAF-staining a ll cells can be divided into three types: unstained (PAF-negative), pa rtially stained and completely stained (PAF-positive). In this study t he distribution of red blood cells (RBC) between these types in contro l Wistar - Kyoto rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is exa mined. The number of PAF-positive cells in the RBC population of SHR i s reduced, the number of PAF-negative cells is decreased. It was shown that PAF-staining of the cell depends on conformation state of the po lysaccharide moiety (sialic acid) of the glycoprotein complex. It is s uggested that the differences in erythrocytes tinctorial properties re flect the membrane abnormalities inherent to primary hypertension. It may be caused by changes in membrane cytoskeleton or by the increase o f cytosolic free Ca2+.