| Abstract: | 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. |
