N-ethylmaleimide causes mechanical fragility and accumulation of spectrin dimers in the rat erythrocyte membrane.
Treatment of rat erythrocytes with N-ethylmaleimide is found to render them mechanically fragile. Membranes of the lysed cells show degradation of band 3 and, to a lesser extent, of spectrin; as well as considerable accumulation of dimeric spectrin. The predominant action of N-ethylmaleimide on isolated membranes, however, is the conversion of spectrin to its dimeric form.
D000818:Animals; D004220:Disulfides; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005033:Ethylmaleimide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006461:Hemolysis; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009996:Osmotic Fragility / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D013049:Spectrin / Q000378:metabolism*
D004220:Disulfides; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D013049:Spectrin; D005033:Ethylmaleimide