DECREASED ERYTHROCYTE DEFORMBILITY IS INDUCED BY AN INCREASE IN TUBULIN MEMBRANE

AMAIDEN M R; SANTANDER V; MONESTEROLO N E; CAMPETELLI A N; CASALE C H

Puerto Madryn

Congreso; Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2010

SAIB

In hypertension numerous alterations in blood rheology have been described such as red cell deformability. We previously shown that erythrocytes from hypertensive patients have 200 % more membrane tubulin. In addition, we determined that acetylated tubulin forms a complex with Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA) and inhibits the enzimatic activity. Now, we determine the effect of tubulin content on the red cell deformability. For this, normotensive and hypertensive human erythrocytes were incubated with taxol and nocodazole respectively, in order to increase or decrease the content of membrane tubulin. Then, we determined the membrane tubulin content, NKA activity and deformability. The results show that increases in the membrane tubulin content induces a decreased in NKA activity and deformability. On the other hand, Wistar and SHR rats were injected with the same drugs. Results shown that a decreased in membrane tubulin content is related with increases in deformability and conversely, an increased in the membrane tubulin content is related with a decreased deformability. These results show that the content of tubulin in the membrane affects the deformability of erythrocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Since erythrocytes of hypertensive patients contain more tubulin membrane, the increase in the content of tubulin could be the cause of the low deformability of erythrocytes of hypertensive patients.