Isolation of the major intrinsic transmembrane protein of the human erythrocyte membrane.

The major intrinsic protein of the human erythrocyte membrane commonly referred to as "Band 3", was isolated by a multi-step procedure. Extraction of ghost membranes in dilute solutions of lithium diiodosalicylate removed most of the proteins considered to be extrinsic to the membrane. The resulting membrane fragments were solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulfate, and the major sialoglycoprotein (glycophorin A) was removed by wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Gel filtration in sodium dodecyl sulfate was used as the final step to yield the band 3 polypeptide in electrophoretically homogeneous form.     

Photoaffinity labeling of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase by an aryl azide derivative of glucosamine in human erythrocytes

An aryl azide derivative of glucosamine, N-(4-iodoazidosalicyl)-2-amido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose (GlcNAs), was synthesized as a potential photoaffinity label for the facilitative hexose carrier. The derivative inhibited hexose uptake into intact human erythrocytes half-maximally at 3.5 mM and was itself slowly transported into cells. However, photolysis of iodinated GlcNAs with leaky erythrocyte ghosts produced appreciable labeling on gel electrophoresis only of Band 6, which is glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Band 6 photolabeling in leaky ghosts by GlcNAs was: saturable, due mostly to the aryl azide moiety, inhibited by agents with known affinity for the enzyme including sulfhydryl reagents and the enzyme substrate glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, and not inhibited by the free-radical scavenger p-aminobenzoic acid. Moreover, GlcNAs also inhibited erythrocyte glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in a dose-dependent fashion in the dark and more potently following irradiation. In resealed ghosts, Band 6 labeling was decreased by D-glucose, reflecting inhibition of carrier-mediated uptake of the agent. GlcNAs appears to be a specific photoaffinity label for erythrocyte glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and therefore potentially useful for studies of enzyme activity, compartmentation, or membrane association.     

Localization of the carboxyl terminus of Band 3 to the cytoplasmic side of the erythrocyte membrane using antibodies raised against a synthetic peptide

Polyclonal antibodies were raised in rabbits against a synthetic peptide which corresponds to the 12-amino acid carboxyl-terminal sequence of murine erythrocyte Band 3. Immunoblots of ghost membrane proteins showed that the antibody specifically recognized murine or rat Band 3 but not human or canine Band 3. The antibody also bound to murine ghost membranes applied directly to nitrocellulose but not to human ghost membranes. This shows that the carboxyl terminus of Band 3 is available for antibody binding in ghost membranes and that the carboxyl-terminal sequences of human and mouse Band 3 are not identical. The specificity of the antibody for the carboxyl terminus of Band 3 was confirmed by the loss of antibody binding after digestion of detergent-solubilized ghost membrane proteins with carboxypeptidase Y. In addition, carboxyl-terminal fragments of Band 3 generated by protease treatment of cells or ghost membranes were positive on immunoblots while amino-terminal fragments were negative. In contrast, protease-treated stripped ghost membranes did not contain a carboxyl-terminal fragment of Band 3 that was detectable on immunoblots. The carboxyl terminus of Band 3 was localized to the cytoplasmic side of the erythrocyte membrane since antibody binding as determined by immunofluorescence occurred in ghosts and permeabilized cells but not in intact cells. In addition, competition studies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunoblots showed that cells and resealed ghosts competed poorly for antibody compared to ghost membranes, inside-out vesicles, or albumin-conjugated peptide.     

Photoactivated cross-linking of proteins within the erythrocyte membrane core.

We describe the reactions of three lipophilic, photoactivated cross-linking reagents, 1,5-diazidonapthalene, 4,4'-diazidobiphenyl, and the reversible 4,4'-dithiobisphenylazide, with erythrocyte membranes. Cross-linking occurs only upon photoactivation. At pH 7 to 8, only spectrin components are cross-linked by these reagents. At pH 5.0 to 5.5 several additional membrane proteins including the major "integral" membrane proteins are also cross-linked, despite equivalent binding of the cross-linkers at neutral and acid pH. The cross-linking rates of various membrane proteins at pH 5.0 to 5.5 depend distinctly upon duration of photoactivation. Bidimensional electrophoresis of membrane proteins after cross-linking with the reversible cross-linker, 4,4'-dithiobisphenylazide, has allowed for the identification of homopolymeric products of cross-linking (e.g. dimers and tetramers of Band 3) and heterocomplexes (spectrin plus other membrane proteins). The data suggest that at reduced pH, cross-linking can proceed not only at the membrane surface but also in the membrane core.     

Isolation of the major intrinsic transmembrane protein of the human erythrocyte membrane

Summary The major intrinsic protein of the human erythrocyte membrane commonly referred to as Band 3, was isolated by a multi-step procedure. Extraction of ghost membranes in dilute solutions of lithium diiodosalicylate removed most of the proteins considered to be extrinsic to the membrane. The resulting membrane fragments were solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulfate, and the major sialoglycoprotein (glycophorin A) was removed by wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Gel filtration in sodium dodecyl sulfate was used as the final step to yield the band 3 polypeptide in electrophoretically homogeneous form.     

Carboxypeptidase Y digestion of band 3, the anion transport protein of human erythrocyte membranes

The exposure of the carboxyl-terminal of the Band 3 protein of human erythrocyte membranes in intact cells and membrane preparations to proteolytic digestion was determined. Carboxypeptidase Y digestion of purified Band 3 in the presence of non-ionic detergent released amino acids from the carboxyl-terminal of Band 3. The release of amino acids was very pH dependent, digestion being most extensive at pH 3, with limited digestion at pH 6 or above. The 55,000 dalton carboxyl-terminal fragment of Band 3, generated by mild trypsin digestion of ghost membranes, had the same carboxyl-terminal sequence as intact Band 3, based on carboxypeptidase Y digestion. Treatment of intact cells with trypsin or carboxypeptidase Y did not release any amino acids from the carboxyl-terminal of Band 3. In contrast, carboxypeptidase Y readily digested the carboxyl-terminal of Band 3 in ghosts that were stripped of extrinsic membrane proteins by alkali or high salt. This was shown by a decrease in the molecular weight of a carboxyl-terminal fragment of Band 3 after carboxypeptidase Y digestion of stripped ghost membranes. No such decrease was observed after carboxypeptidase Y treatment of intact cells. In addition, Band 3 purified from carboxypeptidase Y-treated stripped ghost membranes had a different carboxyl-terminal sequence from intact Band 3. Cleavage of the carboxyl-terminal of Band 3 was also observed when non-stripped ghosts or inside-out vesicles were treated with carboxypeptidase Y. However, the digestion was less extensive. These results suggest that the carboxyl-terminal of Band 3 may be protected from digestion by its association with extrinsic membrane proteins. We conclude, therefore, that the carboxyl-terminal of Band 3 is located on the cytoplasmic side of the red cell membrane. Since the amino-terminal of Band 3 is also located on the cytoplasmic side of the erythrocyte membrane, the Band 3 polypeptide crosses the membrane an even number of times. A model for the folding of Band 3 in the erythrocyte membrane is presented.     

Preparative isolation of Band 3, the predominant polypeptides of the human erythrocyte membrane

Band 3 proteins are the predominant polypeptide components of the human erythrocyte membrane and have been implicated in various transport activities. Following extraction of membrane ghosts with dimethylmaleic anhydride to remove two polypeptides (Bands 4.2 and 6) associated with Band 3, Band 3 proteins were solubilized along with the other major membrane glycoproteins (PAS 1–3) with Triton X-100 under nondenaturing conditions. Band 3 proteins were then purified (>95%) on a large scale by chromatography via thioldisulfide interchange on activated thiol-Sepharose 4B [agarose-(glutathione-2-pyridyl disulfide) conjugate]. This procedure allows the preparation of 20 to 25 mg of purified Band 3 proteins in high yield (>80%) from ghosts in a soluble form suitable for physical, chemical, and functional characterization.     

Isolation and characterization of band 3, the predominant polypeptide of the human erythrocyte membrane.

Band 3 is the predominant approximately 90,000-dalton polypeptide component of the human erythrocyte membrane. It was solubilized selectively, along with the other major glycoproteins, by extracting membrane ghosts with Triton X-100 under nondenaturing conditions. Two major polypeptides remained associated with Band 3 under these conditions; however one (Band 6) could be dissociated at an ionic strength of 0.15 and the other (Band 4.2) by treatment with p-chloromercuribenzoate. Band 3 was then purified (greater than or equal to 97%) by aminoethyl cellulose ion exchange chromatography. The isolated protein was free of phospholipid and was moderately enriched in apolar amino acid residues; it contained galactose and glucosamine but very little sialic acid and galactosamine. When Band 3 was labeled by treatment of ghosts with galactose oxidase plus KB3H4 and then purified, the electrophoretic mobility of its radioactivity lagged slightly behing that of its Coomassie blue staining profile. Variation in glycosylation could therefore cause the diffuse trailing zone characteristically observed for Band 3 on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. The ultraviolet circular dichroism of Band 3 was stable in nonionic detergent and suggested an alpha helix content of 43%, a value close to that estimated for this polypeptide in the membrane.     

Erythrocyte and plasma protein modification in alcoholism: a possible role of acetaldehyde

Analysis of the oxidative modification of plasma and erythrocyte ghost proteins of chronic alcoholic subjects and healthy non-alcoholics has been performed. It was found that increased levels of protein carbonyls in both plasma and erythrocyte ghosts from alcoholic subjects occurred in comparison to the levels found in preparations from non-alcoholics. Plasma proteins from alcoholic subjects did not show evidence of cross-linking, although plasma protein concentration and composition were changed. In alcoholic subjects who displayed no evidence of abnormal erythrocyte morphology no cross-linking of erythrocyte ghost proteins was detectable, whereas the ghosts obtained from alcoholic subjects who displayed morphologically abnormal erythrocytes contained cross-linked proteins. The in vitro treatment with acetaldehyde of erythrocytes from non-alcoholics caused increased levels of protein carbonyls and cross-linking products in erythrocyte ghost preparations which were similar to those found in severe alcoholics. It is concluded that chronic alcohol consumption can cause abnormal erythrocyte morphology and increased erythrocyte fragility as a result of oxidation and cross-linking of erythrocyte ghost proteins. These effects can be ascribed, in part, to exposure of erythrocytes to circulatory acetaldehyde which is a product of ethanol metabolism.     

Retention of insulin-stimulated D-glucose transport activity by adipocyte plasma membranes following extraction of extrinsic proteins

Plasma membrane vesicles prepared from adipocytes incubated with insulin exhibited accelerated D-glucose transport activity characteristic of insulin action on intact fat cells. Both control and insulin-stimulated D-glucose transport activities were inhibited by cytochalasin B and thiol reagents. Extraction of plasma membranes with dimethylmaleic anhydride eluted 80% of the protein from plasma membrane vesicles. The two major glycoprotein bands (94,000 and 78,000 daltons) and small amounts of a 56,000-dalton band were retained in dodecyl sulfate gels of the extracted membranes. Both control and insulin-activated D-glucose transport activities were retained by plasma membrane vesicles extracted with dimethylmaleic anhydride. Cytochalasin B binding activity was also retained by extracted membrane vescles and D-glucose uptake into extracted vescles derived from untreated or insulin-treated fat cells was inhibited by cytochalasin B. These results suggest that the modification of the adipocyte hexose transport system elicited by insulin action is not altered by a major purification step which involves quantitative extraction of extrinsic membrane proteins.     

Uptake and binding of dissaccharides in human erythrocytes.

Disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, melibiose, cellobiose, trehalose, maltose, and isomaltose) are not transported across the human erythrocyte membrane. Maltose alone is bound in appreciable amounts to the intact cell as well as ghost membranes and competes mutually for uptake with D-glucose. In (NH4)2-SO4-precipitated membrane preparations, maltose binds more strongly than other disaccharides (KD = 1.3 X 10(-5) M; maximum binding capacity, 71 pmol/mg protein) and again competes mutually with D-glucose. Phloretin inhibits the binding of glucose much more than that of maltose.     

External labeling of human erythrocyte glycoproteins. Studies with galactose oxidase and fluorography.

Glycoproteins of the human erythrocyte membrane were labeled with tritiated sodium borohydride after oxidation of terminal galactosyl and N-acetylgalactosaminyl residues with galactose oxidase. After separation of the polypeptides on polyacrylamide slab gels, a scintillator was introduced into the gel, and the radioactive proteins were visualed by autoradiography (fluorography). The following results were obtained. (a) The erythrocyte membrane contains at least 20 glycoproteins, many of which are minor components. (b) The carbohydrate of all the labeled glycoproteins is exposed only to the outside, since no additional glycoproteins can be labeled in isolated unsealed ghosts. (c) The membrane contains two major groups of glycoproteins. The first group of proteins contains sialic acids linked to the penultimate galactosyl/N-acetylgalactosaminyl residues, which are efficiently labeled only after pretreatment with neuraminidase. The second group has terminal galactosyl/N-acetylgalactosaminyl residues which can be easily labeled without neuraminidase treatment. The glycoproteins from fetal erythrocytes all belong to the first group, whereas only five glycoproteins of erythrocytes from adults belong. (d) Trypsin cleaves the proteins containing sialic acids, and fragments containing carbohydrate remain tightly bound and exposed in the membrane. (e) Pronase cleaves Band 3 in addition to the sialic acid containing glycoproteins, but most of the glycoproteins still remain unmodified in the membrane. (f) No difference is seen between membrane glycoproteins from cells of different ABH blood groups.     

Topography and functions of sulfhydryl groups of the human erythrocyte glucose transport mechanism

Summary Membrane-impermeant and -permeant maleimides were applied to characterize the location and function of the sulfhydryl (SH) groups essential for the facilitated diffusion mediated by the human erythrocyte glucose transport protein. Three such classes have been identified. Type I SH is accessible to membrane-impermeant reagents at the outer (exofacial) surface of the intact erythrocyte. Alkylation of this class inhibits glucose transport; D-glucose and cytochalasin B protect against the alkylation. Type II SH is located at the inner (endofacial) surface of the membrane and is accessible to the membrane-impermeant reagent glutathione maleimide only after lysis of the erythrocyte. D-glucose enhances, while cytochalasin B reduces, the alkylation of Type II SH by maleimides. Reaction of Types I and II SH with an impermeant maleimide increases the half-saturation concentration for binding of D-glucose to erythrocyte membranes. By contrast, inactivation of Type III SH markedly decreases the half-saturation concentration for the binding of D-glucose and other transported sugars. Type III SH is inactivated by the relatively lipid-soluble reagents N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and dipyridyl disulfide, but not by the impermeant glutathione maleimide. Type III SH is thus located in a hydrophobic membrane domain. A kinetic model constructed to explain these observations indicates that Type III SH is required for the translocation event in a hydrophobic membrane domain which leads to the dissociation of glucose bound to transport sites at the membrane surfaces.     

A basis of echinocytosis and stomatocytosis in the disc-sphere transformations of the erythrocyte

A mechanism of erythrocyte shape control has been previously hypothesized in which Band 3, the anion exchange protein, controls the shape. In essence, the mechanism hypothesizes that the membrane skeleton is used to generate different shapes and the alternate influx and efflux of anions mediated by Band 3, which recruit Band 3 to an inward-facing and an outward-facing conformation, contract and relax the skeleton by folding and unfolding spectrin. Spectrin is bound to Band 3 by the intermediary of ankyrin. The mechanism is shown to be consistent with rapid shape deformations of the erythrocyte in blood circulation. We have examined whether the mechanism could provide a basis of echinocytosis and stomatocytosis in disc-sphere transformations of the erythrocyte induced by a wide variety of agents. These agents were classified into four groups: lipids of the bilayer, Donnan equilibrium modifiers, Band 3 anion transport inhibitors and integral membrane protein modifiers. Evidence is presented that the lipids play a secondary function in the control of the erythrocyte shape, as indicated by the mechanism. Two possible functions of the lipids are suggested with respect to the mechanism. Without exception, echinocytogenic and stomatocytogenic Donnan equilibrium modifiers decrease and increase the equilibrium ratio of chloride (Cl-(i)/Cl-(o)), respectively, as predicted by the mechanism. Echinocytosis produced by competitive anion transport inhibitors slowly transported inward by Band 3 and by affinity labels of Band 3 is compatible with the mechanism. Evidence is presented which indicates that echinocytosis and stomatocytosis induced by amphiphilic drugs and detergents occur by inhibition of the Band 3 anion transport. Finally, echinocytosis and stomatocytosis induced by non-covalent and covalent modifiers of integral membrane proteins such as agglutinins and digestive enzymes are consistent with the mechanism.     

A rapid method of reconstituting human erythrocyte sugar transport proteins

A rapid reconstitution procedure for human erythrocyte hexose transfer activity is described. The procedure (reverse-phase evaporation) avoids exposure of the isolated proteins to detergent, organic solvent, sonication, or freeze-thaw steps during insertion into synthetic membranes and may be effected within 15 min. The so-formed vesicles are unilamellar structures with a large encapsulated volume, narrow size range, and low passive permeabilities. Contamination by carry-through of endogenous (red cell) lipids is less than 1%. Reconstituted hexose transfer activity was examined by using unfractionated proteins (bands 3, 4.5, and 6) and purified proteins (bands 4.5 and 3). With unfractionated proteins, hexose transport activity is low [0.34 mumol X (mg of protein)-1 X min-1], is inhibited by cytochalasin B, and increases monotonically with protein concentration. Kinetic analysis indicates that Vmax values for both influx and efflux of D-glucose are identical. Reconstitution of the cytochalasin B binding protein (band 4.5) results in hexose transport with high specific activity [5 mumol X (mg of protein)-1 X min-1] and symmetry in transfer kinetics. Band 3 proteins also appear to mediate cytochalasin B sensitive D-glucose transport activity.     

Effects of cholesterol and PIP2 on interactions between glycophorin A and Band 3 in lipid bilayers

In the erythrocyte membrane, the interactions between glycophorin A (GPA) and Band 3 are associated strongly with the biological function of the membrane and several blood disorders. In this work, using coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulations, we systematically investigate the effects of cholesterol and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) on the interactions of GPA with Band 3 in the model erythrocyte membranes. We examine the dynamics of the interactions of GPA with Band 3 in different lipid bilayers on the microsecond time scale and calculate the binding free energy between GPA and Band 3. The results indicate that cholesterols thermodynamically favor the binding of GPA to Band 3 by increasing the thickness of the lipid bilayer and by producing an effective attraction between the proteins due to the depletion effect. Cholesterols also slow the kinetics of the binding of GPA to Band 3 by reducing the lateral mobility of the lipids and proteins and may influence the binding sites between the proteins. The anionic PIP2 lipids prefer binding to the surface of the proteins through electrostatic attraction between the PIP2 headgroup and the positively charged residues on the protein surface. Ions in the solvent facilitate PIP2 aggregation, which promotes the binding of GPA to Band 3.     

Schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni use lysophosphatidylcholine to lyse adherent human red blood cells and immobilize red cell membrane components

Human red blood cells (RBCs) adhere to and are lysed by schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni. We have investigated the mechanism of RBC lysis by comparing the dynamic properties of transmembrane protein and lipid probes in adherent ghost membranes with those in control RBCs and in RBCs treated with various membrane perturbants. Fluorescence photobleaching recovery was used to measure the lateral mobility of two integral membrane proteins, glycophorin and band 3, and two lipid analogues, fluorescein phosphatidylethanolamine (Fl-PE) and carbocyanine dyes, in RBCs and ghosts adherent to schistosomula. Adherent ghosts manifested 95-100% immobilization of both membrane proteins and 45-55% immobilization of both lipid probes. In separate experiments, diamide-induced cross-linking of RBC cytoskeletal proteins slowed transmembrane protein diffusion by 30-40%, without affecting either transmembrane protein fractional mobility or lipid probe lateral mobility. Wheat germ agglutinin- and polylysine-induced cross-linking of glycophorin at the extracellular surface caused 80-95% immobilization of the transmembrane proteins, without affecting the fractional mobility of the lipid probe. Egg lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) induced both lysis of RBCs and a concentration-dependent decrease in the lateral mobility of glycophorin, band 3, and Fl-PE in ghost membranes. At a concentration of 8.4 micrograms/ml, lysoPC caused a pattern of protein and lipid immobilization in RBC ghosts identical to that in ghosts adherent to schistosomula. Schistosomula incubated with labeled palmitate released lysoPC into the culture medium at a rate of 1.5 fmol/h per 10(3) organisms. These data suggest that lysoPC is transferred from schistosomula to adherent RBCs, causing their lysis.     

Differential phosphorylation of band 3 and glycophorin in intact and extracted erythrocyte membranes

This report presents an analysis of the phosphorylation of human and rabbit erythrocyte membrane proteins which migrate in NaDodSO₄-polyacrylamide gels in the area of the Coomassie Blue-stained proteins generally known as band 3. The phosphorylation of these proteins is of interest as band 3 has been implicated in transport processes. This study shows that there are at least three distinct phosphoproteins associated with the band 3 region of human erythrocyte membranes. These are band 2.9, the major band 3, and PAS-1. The phosphorylation of these proteins is differentially catalyzed by solubilized membrane and cytoplasmic cyclic AMP-dependent and -independent erythrocyte protein kinases. Band 2.9 is present and phosphorylated in unfractionated human and rabbit erythrocyte ghosts but not in NaI- or dimethylmaleic anhydride (DMMA)-extracted membranes. These latter membrane preparations are enriched in band 3 and in sialoglycoproteins. The NaI-extracted ghosts contain residual protein kinase activity which can catalyze the autophosphorylation of band 3 whereas the DMMA-extracted ghosts are usually devoid of any kinase activity. However, both NaI- and DMMA-extracted ghosts, as well as Triton X-100 extracts of the DMMA-extracted ghosts, can be phosphorylated by various erythrocyte protein kinases. The kinases which preferentially phosphorylate the major band 3 protein are inactive towards PAS-1 while the kinases active towards PAS-1 are less active towards band 3. The band 3 protein in the DMMA-extracted ghosts can be cross-linked with the Cu²⁺ -σ-phenanthroline complex. The cross-linking of band 3 does not affect its capacity to serve as a phosphoryl acceptor nor does phosphorylation affect the capacity of band 3 to form cross-links. In addition to band 2.9, the major band 3 and PAS-1, another minor protein component appears to be present in the band 3 region in human erythrocyte membranes. This protein is specifically phosphorylated by the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases isolated from the cytoplasm of rabbit erythrocytes. The rabbit erythrocyte membranes lack PAS-1 and the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase substrate.     

Reconstitution of glucose-transporting vesicles from erythrocyte membranes disaggregated in detergent.

With the eventual aim of purifying a membrane transport system by using reconstitution of transport activity as an assay, I showed that if, after the erythrocyte membrane is solubilized in deoxycholate, the detergent is removed, membrane vesicles re-form which retain glucose-transport activity. They take up and release D-glucose in preference to L-glucose and the uptake and release are sensitive to Hg2+ and phloretin. Release of tracer D-glucose is competitively inhibited by transported sugars inside the vesicles and increased by unlabelling D-glucose in the outside medium. Uptake of tracer is increased so much by preloading vesicles with unlabelled transported sugars that the tracer is probably concentrated against a gradient. When the membrane is solubilized, two proteins that span the membrane can be separated, suggesting that it will be possible to fractionate the membrane before reconstitution.