Contribution of plasma membrane lipid domains to red blood cell (re)shaping.

ABSTRACT: Although lipid domains have been evidenced in several living cell plasma membranes, their roles remain largely unclear. We here investigated whether they could contribute to function-associated cell (re)shaping. To address this question, we used erythrocytes as cellular model since they (i) exhibit a specific biconcave shape, allowing for reversible deformation in blood circulation, which is lost by membrane vesiculation upon aging; and (ii) display at their outer plasma membrane leaflet two types of submicrometric domains differently enriched in cholesterol and sphingomyelin. We here reveal the specific association of cholesterol- and sphingomyelin-enriched domains with distinct curvature areas of the erythrocyte biconcave membrane. Upon erythrocyte deformation, cholesterol-enriched domai

SUBMITTER: Leonard C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5487352 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature