Observations on Vitally Stainable Reticulation and Chromatic Granules in Erythrocytes Preserved in Vitro

Abstract

These observations were made with the object of determining whether the vitally staining reticulation of young erythrocytes persists or is lost in blood preserved in vitro. In this manner it was hoped to gain some further information concerning the effect of such preservation on the erythrocyte from the point of view of the value of such cells for transfusion purposes. If it could be shown that preservation of erythrocytes in vitro for several weeks or a month did not reduce the percentage of cells in which the reticulation could be demonstrated

Oxidative Hemolysis and Precipitation of Hemoglobin. I. Heinz Body Anemias as an Acceleration of Red Cell Aging *

“…These changes occurred under oxygen but not under carbon monoxide. The spontaneous appearance of inclusion bodies in blood stored for several days has been previously observed by others (50)(51)(52)(53). Most of these granules appeared either in reticulocytes (50,51) or represented siderocytes (53), in contrast to the present studies in which the granules occurred in adult red cells and did not stain for iron.…”

“…The spontaneous appearance of inclusion bodies in blood stored for several days has been previously observed by others (50)(51)(52)(53). Most of these granules appeared either in reticulocytes (50,51) or represented siderocytes (53), in contrast to the present studies in which the granules occurred in adult red cells and did not stain for iron. Moeschlin (52), on the other hand, observed small, nonsiderotic inclusion bodies in adult red cells which had been incubated for 2 to 3 days at 37°C, but not at 0°C, and noted that these inclusions were similar to Heinz bodies in several respects.…”

RNase activity in erythroid cell lysates

“…High concentrations of magnesium have been reported to retard reticulocyte maturation (26). The observation that magnesium ions inhibit erythroid cell RNase in cell lysates suggests, but does not prove, the possibility that RNase activity is involved in cell maturation.…”

“…Ribosomal RNA was most susceptible to the action of the enzyme. Total RNA, prepared from rabbits with a reticulocytosis of more than 90%, and therefore consisting of 26.6 +2.5% for transfer RNA, and 52.3 +17.6% for ribosomes. Although this test system does not give detailed data on the size of oligonucleotide fragments, the almost total solubility of degradation products of isolated ribosomal RNA in uranyl acetate indicates that erythroid cell lysates are capable of degrading RNA completely to nucleotides.…”

Characteristics of RNA degradation in the erythroid cell

“…tween the two. Reticulocyte maturation is delayed by low temperature (34), as is RNA degradation. A high concentration of magnesium retards reticulocyte maturation in vitro (35) and also inhibits an RNase isolated from erythroid cells (10).…”