Transferrin receptors during rabbit reticulocyte maturation

Experiments were performed to examine the fate of transferrin receptors in reticulocytes as these cells mature in vivo to erythrocytes. Reticulocytosis, synchronized by administration of actinomycin D, was induced in adult rabbits. Simultaneous measurements were made of haematological parameters and the interaction between transferrin and reticulocytes while the cells matured in vivo to erythrocytes. As the reticulocytes matured there was a parallel decline in their ability to take up transferrin and transferrin iron. At the same time, there was a proportionate decrease in the density of receptors for transferrin on the reticulocyte surface. The affinity of the receptors for transferrin remained unaltered during the maturation process. It was concluded that the inability of erythrocytes to take up transferrin or its iron is due primarily to the loss of transferrin receptors from the maturing reticulocyte surface.     

Dissociation of beta-adrenergic receptors from hormone responsiveness during maturation of the rat reticulocyte.

Intact rat erythrocytes and reticulocytes have been studied in relation to their concentration of beta-adrenergic receptors and their responsiveness to beta-adrenergic catecholamines. Characteristics of the beta-receptor, as determined by binding of 125I-labelled hydroxybenzylpindolol, were compared among control erythrocytes and reticulocytes. The dissociation constant (Kd = 0.1--0.2 nM), association and dissociation kinetics, and stereospecificity for (--)-isomers of agonists and antagonists were similar in both cell types. The reticulocyte population contained four times more receptors per cell than the control erythrocytes. However, reticulocytes were 25 times more responsive than control cells to isoproterenol, as measured by the formation of cyclic AMP. After peak reticulocytosis, cells rapidly lost 95% of their maximum hormone responsiveness, but beta-receptors declined much more slowly. The 4-fold decrease in beta-receptors was associated with a 4-fold decrease in cell volume as the reticulocytes matured. The density of beta-receptors was unchanged. However, responsiveness to isoproterenol in the reticulocytes when expressed on the basis of cell volume was still nine times greater than the control cells. Thus, maturation of reticulocytes is associated with an uncoupling of persistent beta-receptors from catecholamine responsiveness.     

Dissociation of beta-adrenergic receptors from hormone responsiveness during maturation of the rat reticulocyte

Intact rat erythrocytes and reticulocytes have been studied in relation to their concentration of β-adrenergic receptors and their responsiveness to β-adrenergic catecholamines. Characteristics of the β-receptor, as determined by binding of ¹²⁵I-labelled hydroxybenzylpindolol, were compared among control erythrocytes and reticulocytes. The dissociation constant (K_d=0.1?0.2 nM), association and dissociation kinetics, and stereospecificity for (?)-isomers of agonists and antagonists were similar in both cell types. The reticulocyte population contained four times more receptors per cell than the control erythrocytes. However, reticulocytes were 25 times more responsive than control cells to isoproterenol, as measured by the formation of cyclic AMP. After peak reticulocytosis, cells rapidly lost 95% of their maximum hormone responsiveness, but β-receptors declined much more slowly. The 4-fold decrease in β-receptors was associated with a 4-fold decrease in cell volume as the reticulocytes matured. The density of β-receptors was unchanged. However, responsiveness to isoproterenol in the reticulocytes when expressed on the basis of cell volume was still nine times greater than the control cells. Thus, maturation of reticulocytes is associated with an uncoupling of persistent β-receptors from catecholamine responsiveness.     

Transferrin in the reticulocyte cytosol

Radioactive iodine-labeled iron-saturated human transferrin was shown to enter the cytosol of rabbit reticulocytes but not erythrocytes, and to be combined therein with a small “carrier” material not identical to the membrane transferrin receptor.     

Rabbit red blood cell hexokinase. Decay mechanism during reticulocyte maturation

In rabbit reticulocytes, the hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.1)-specific activity is 4-5 times that of corresponding mature red cells. Immunoprecipitation of hexokinase by a polyclonal antibody made in vitro shows that this maturation-dependent hexokinase decay is not due to accumulation of inactive enzyme molecules but to degradation of hexokinase. A cell-free system derived from rabbit reticulocytes, but not mature erythrocytes, was found to catalyze the decay of hexokinae activity and the degradation of 125I-labeled enzyme. This degradation is ATP-dependent and requires both ubiquitin and a proteolytic fraction retained by DEAE-cellulose. Maximum ATP-dependent degradation was obtained at pH 7.5 in the presence of MgATP. MgGTP could replace MgATP with a relative stimulation of 0.90. 125I-Hexokinase incubated with reticulocyte extract in the presence of ATP forms high molecular weight aggregates that reach a steady-state concentration in 1 h, whereas the degradation of the enzyme is linear up to 8 h, suggesting that the formation of protein aggregates precedes enzyme catabolism. These aggregates are stable upon boiling in 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate, 3% mercaptoethanol and probably represent an intermediate step in the enzyme degradation with hexokinase and other proteins covalently conjugate to ubiquitin. That hexokinase could be conjugated to ubiquitin was shown by the formation of 125I-ubiquitin-hexokinase complexes in the presence of ATP and the enzymes of the ubiquitin-protein ligase system. Thus, the decay of hexokinase during reticulocyte maturation is ATP- and ubiquitin-dependent and suggests a new physiological role for the energy-dependent degradation system of reticulocytes.     

Proteolipidic composition of exosomes changes during reticulocyte maturation

During the orchestrated process leading to mature erythrocytes, reticulocytes must synthesize large amounts of hemoglobin, while eliminating numerous cellular components. Exosomes are small secreted vesicles that play an important role in this process of specific elimination. To understand the mechanisms of proteolipidic sorting leading to their biogenesis, we have explored changes in the composition of exosomes released by reticulocytes during their differentiation, in parallel to their physical properties. By combining proteomic and lipidomic approaches, we found dramatic alterations in the composition of the exosomes retrieved over the course of a 7-day in vitro differentiation protocol. Our data support a previously proposed model, whereby in reticulocytes the biogenesis of exosomes involves several distinct mechanisms for the preferential recruitment of particular proteins and lipids and suggest that the respective prominence of those pathways changes over the course of the differentiation process.     

Deterioration and disappearance of mitochondria during reticulocyte maturation

This study correlates the decreasing aerobic metabolism with the increased deterioration of mitochondria in maturing reticulocytes. The respiration of reticulocytes, separated into four age groups according to their density, was determined manometrically. Their Krebs tricarboxylic acid cycle activity was determined using [2-¹⁴C] acetate as a substrate for [¹⁴C]CO₂ formation. The ability of reticulocytes of various age groups to couple the phosphorylation to oxidation processes was estimated by studying the effect of 2,4-dinitrophenol as an uncoupler.     

Characteristics of membrane transport losses during reticulocyte maturation

The decline in activity of distinct membrane transport systems was followed during in vitro maturation of sheep reticulocytes, namely the sodium pump (measured as specific ouabain binding sites), Na+-glycine cotransport, and the nucleoside transporter (measured as specific nitrobenzylthioinosine binding sites). Certain features of this maturation-associated decline in membrane transport are clarified. Thus, the apparent retardation of loss by metabolic (ATP) depletion, reported previously for the sodium pump and Na+-glycine cotransport, is applicable also to the decline in nucleoside transport. The absolute losses, as well as relative effects of ATP depletion, are different for the three distinct systems. Inhibitors of membrane recycling and (or) intracellular processing, such as chloroquine, as well as ATP depletion, prevent not only the loss but also cause a transient increase in nucleoside transport sites apparent at the surface. Proteolytic processing, at least in the case of the nucleoside transporter, is probably also involved since leupeptin retards the loss in binding sites. Protection against the decline in transporters can also be affected by specific ligands as evidenced in ouabain protection of sodium pump sites. The results provide evidence that membrane transporter recycling is a fundamental process underlying the energy-dependent, maturation-associated loss in membrane transport functions.     

Erythrocyte membrane proteins. Sequential accumulation in the membrane during reticulocyte maturation

Reticulocytes of increasing maturity were separated by dextran gradient centrifugation. The accumulation in the membrane of the anion transport protein and other erythrocyte membrane proteins was studied during reticulocyte maturation by separating reticulocytes after incubation with [³⁵S]methionine. The incorporation of the reticulocyte membrane proteins was shown to be sequential, the anion transport protein being inserted at a very early stage in the cells' maturation.     

Autophagy-dependent and -independent mechanisms of mitochondrial clearance during reticulocyte maturation

Erythrocyte formation involves the elimination of mitochondria at the reticulocyte stage of development. Nix-/- reticulocytes fail to eliminate their mitochondria at this step due to a defect in the targeting of mitochondria to autophagosomes. To determine the role of autophagy in this process, we generated Atg7-/- transplant mice. Atg7-/- reticulocytes exhibit a partial defect in mitochondrial clearance, demonstrating that there are both autophagy-dependent and -independent mechanisms of mitochondrial clearance. We used Atg7-/- autophagy-defective reticulocytes to study temporal events in mitochondrial clearance. Mitochondrial depolarization precedes elimination, but in Atg7-/- reticulocytes the depolarization event is markedly delayed. Since Atg7 regulates autophagosome formation, we infer that mitochondrial depolarization occurs downstream of autophagosome formation in reticulocytes. We propose that there are two mechanisms of mitochondrial clearance: one that is triggered by mitochondrial depolarization, and a second NIX-dependent mechanism, which is not. The NIX-dependent mechanism remains to be elucidated.     

Fractionation analysis of the endosomal compartment during rat reticulocyte maturation

A subcellular fractionation procedure was developed to isolate the different endosomal compartments present during reticulocyte maturation. After reticulocyte lysis and removal of excess haemoglobin by gel chromatography, membrane vesicles were separated over a discontinuous sucrose gradient (10-40%). Two fractions were isolated: P1 at the 25-35% sucrose interface and P2 at the 17-25% sucrose interface. These fractions were morphologically characterized by electron microscopy and the distribution of endocytic markers in the fractions was detected by Western blot. Moreover, this fractionation technique was used to study the effect of 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an autophagy inhibitor, on reticulocyte maturation. The presence of 3-MA during in vitro maturation of reticulocytes induced a decrease in exosome secretion, as measured by the amount of transferrin receptor (TfR) released in the extracellular medium. The subcellular fractionation results suggested that multivesicular endosome formation from early endosomes is the step affected by 3-MA.     

Concanavalin A-induced endocytosis in rabbit reticulocytes, and its decrease with reticulocyte maturation

Concanavalin A (Con A) was taken up to a limited extent by endocytosis in rabbit reticulocytes but not in rabbit erythrocytes. This process was observed by the use of ferritin-labeled Con A and transmission electron microscopy of thin sections of plastic-embedded cells. Furthermore, the extent of endocytosis among the reticulocytes decreased with the extent of their maturation, reticulocyte age being measured by ribosome configurations. These results are consistent with the proposal that there are domains in the membranes of reticulocytes in which the Con A receptors are laterally mobile, and can be clustered and endocytosed. These mobile domains exist, or are formed, within a larger framework of immobile membrane. During reticulocyte maturation, these domains are gradually eliminated, eventually disappearing upon formation of the mature erythrocyte. Possible molecular mechanisms for this proposed elimination process are discussed.     

Transfer RNA in reticulocyte maturation

The disappearance of tRNA during the maturation of rabbit reticulocytes under the stress of phenylhydrazine-induced hemolysis was studied. The tRNA content of reticulocytes and of erythrocytes derived from them was compared. The results show that tRNA persists longer after reticulocyte maturation than ribosomes and than the ability to incorporate amino acids into protein. Considerable uniformity of tRNA degradation was noted with about 15% of the tRNA for most amino acids remaining after reticulocyte maturation. The half-life of tRNA in the maturing cells is estimated to be 50--60 h. There is little tRNA lacking the 3'-terminal pCpCpA moiety in cells derived from reticulocytes.