Variability of the iron, copper and mercury contents of individual red blood cells.
The relative iron, copper and mercury contents of individual, isolated erythrocytes from eight people were determined by analytical electron microscopy. The variation in iron content between erythrocytes of the same sample is more than six times, for copper content more than tem times and for mercury more than five times. Similar variations were observed for 1-day-old chick defintive erythrocytes and for 4-day-old chick embryo primitive erythrocytes. The range of variation does not depend greatly, it at all, on the age of the erythroyctes or the tissue of origin. There is little or no correlation between the variation of iron contnet and that of copper. The cause of the wide variation of metallic ion contnt among erythroyctes is not yet known.
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000032:analysis; D002645:Chickens; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood*; D004905:Erythrocyte Aging; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged
D006454:Hemoglobins; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D008628:Mercury