Papers

Peer-reviewed
Dec, 2006

Human erythrocytes possess a cytoplasmic endoskeleton containing beta-actin and neurofilament protein

ARCHIVES OF HISTOLOGY AND CYTOLOGY
  • Kazutaka Terasawa
  • ,
  • Takehito Taguchi
  • ,
  • Ryusuke Momota
  • ,
  • Ichiro Naito
  • ,
  • Takuro Murakami
  • ,
  • Aiji Ohtsuka

Volume
69
Number
5
First page
329
Last page
340
Language
English
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1679/aohc.69.329
Publisher
INT SOC HISTOLOGY & CYTOLOGY

The biconcave disc shape of mammalian erythrocytes has been considered to be maintained only with a membrane underlain by a membranous cytoskeleton. Our improved ion-etching/scanning electron microscopy and saponin-ethanol treatment combined with immunocytochemistry in the human red blood cell revealed the three-dimensional structure of this cytoplasmic endoskeleton apart from the classical membranous cytoskeleton. The endoskeletal meshwork images obtained by the saponin-ethanol treatment corresponded to those by the repeated ion-etching method. The actin-rich endoskeleton was divided into two layers, one superficial and the other deep. The superficial filaments were perpendicularly connected to the membranous cytoskeleton, while the deep filaments formed an irregularly directed complicated meshwork. In the transitional hillside region between the convex periphery and concave center, the endoskeletal filaments containing a neurofilament protein ran parallel to the hillside slope toward the concave center. The endoskeleton of the erythrocyte associating with the membranous cytoskeleton may serve to keep its unique biconcave disc shape deformable, pliable, and restorable against external circumstances.


Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1679/aohc.69.329
Web of Science
https://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=JSTA_CEL&SrcApp=J_Gate_JST&DestLinkType=FullRecord&KeyUT=WOS:000244624000004&DestApp=WOS_CPL
URL
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7003-3444
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1679/aohc.69.329
  • ISSN : 0914-9465
  • eISSN : 1349-1717
  • ORCID - Put Code : 9101218
  • Web of Science ID : WOS:000244624000004

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