Membrane protein pattern in hereditary spherocytosis in five subjects fromnorth-east Italy obtained by SDS-PAGE using N,N '-diallyltartardiamide

In the present study we examined five subjects affected by hereditary spher ocytosis (three unsplenectomized and two splenectomized), coming from an ar ea in the north-east of Italy where hereditary spherocytosis is an anaemic disease with very low incidence. All patients showed a low degree of spectr in deficiency (14 %), detected with sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide g el electrophoresis. Moreover, when this analysis was performed with N,N'-di allyltartardiamide as cross-linking agent instead of N,N'-methylenbisacryia mide, some unusual bands appeared in the region between proteins 4.2 and 5, the three unsplenectomized and two splenectomized patients showing differe nt patterns. We hypothesise that some alterations of proteins in this regio n (e.g. the 4.5 or 4.9 bands), possibly due to proteolysis, must have occur red in relation to the disease.