Membrane skeletal protein structure and interactions in human erythrocytes after their treatment with diamide and calcium.

To analyse the role of native structures of membrane proteins in their structural modifications induced by the elevated intracellular free Ca2+ levels, we have studied the Ca(2+)-mediated effects on membrane skeletal proteins in human erythrocytes that were loaded with Ca2+ using the ionophore A23187 after their pretreatment with the sulphydryl oxidizing agent, diamide. The diamide treatment not only induced polymerization of the major membrane skeletal protein, spectrin, in the erythrocytes, but it also promoted intersubunit crosslinking within the tetramers and dimers of this protein. Loading of these diamide-treated cells with Ca2+ failed to induce significant structural modifications of spectrin as well as polypeptide 4.1, another major membrane skeletal protein, as compared to the erythrocytes that were loaded with Ca2+ without the diamide pretreatment. These results have been interpreted to suggest that the Ca(2+)-induced membrane skeletal protein changes in erythrocytes depend on both the shape and relative orientation of these proteins within the membrane skeleton.

ELISA ureasa para selección primaria y monitoreo de anticuerpos monoclonales / ELISA urease for primary selection and monitoring of monoclonals antibodies

Se empleó el método de ELISA Ureasa indirecto para detectar anticuerpos monoclonares obtenidos a partir de ratones inmunizados con merozoitos libres de Plasmodium falciparum. Se seleccionaron los anticuerpos monoclonales que mostraron ser muy estables en posteriores ensayos de caracterización. Los anticuerpos obtenidos no fueron específicos contra antígeno de Plasmodium falciparum pero permitieron identificar la proteína espectrina del citoesqueleto de eritrocito humano. En el ensayo fue empleado un antígeno de esquizontes concentrados y solubilizados. Se obtuvo la determinación del punto final de la reacción a través de lectura visual semicuantitativa. A partir de la enzima Ureasa de alta pureza que se encuentra disponible comercialmente y, empleando métodos muy sencillos se prepararon los reactivos utilizados en el ensayo