title: Relationship between cell age, glutathione and cation concentrations in sheep erythrocytes with a normal and a defective transport system for amino acids.
abstract: Percoll density gradients were used to separate sheep erythrocytes according to cell age. Erythrocytes with low intracellular levels of glutathione (GSH) caused by an inherited deficiency of the System C amino acid transporter exhibited large age-related decreases in GSH and K+ content. In contrast, there was no age-related loss of intracellular GSH in normal sheep erythrocytes or in sheep erythrocytes with low GSH resulting from a diminished activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase. Loss of GSH from amino acid transport-deficient erythrocytes was paralleled by the progressive appearance of Heinz bodies in the cells, indicating an increased susceptibility to oxidative damage.
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002412:Cations / Q000097:blood; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D004905:Erythrocyte Aging; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood*; D006366:Heinz Bodies / Q000032:analysis; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D002412:Cations; D005978:Glutathione