SURFACE AND METABOLIC PROPERTIES OF MICROCYTIC AND MACROCYTIC HUMAN ANEMIC RED-BLOOD-CELLS DETECTED IN POLYMER AQUEOUS 2-PHASE SYSTEMS

Microcytic and macrocytic red blood cells from anaemic patients have b een fractionated as a function of cell surface properties by the count ercurrent distribution technique using charge-sensitive dextran/poly(e thylene glycol) aqueous two-phase systems. As deduced from the fractio nation profiles, microcytic cells constitute a heterogeneous cell popu lation with decreased surface charge properties while, macrocytic cell s constitute a homogeneous cell population with behaviour similar to t hat of the control red blood cells. The specific activity of pyruvate kinase, an age-dependent enzyme, did not change along microcytic red b lood cells fractionation profiles, suggesting that such cells have alt ered ageing properties. However, pyruvate kinase specific activity dec reases from the left- to the right-hand side of the fractionation prof ile of macrocytic red blood cells, indicating that these cells follow the normal ageing process. Bisphosphoglycerate mutase specific activit y did nor change along the fractionation profile of any cell populatio n under study, thus providing 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate during the life- span of the red blood cells from anaemic patients. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience B.V. All rights reserved.