title: Distribution of dehydration rates generated by maximal Gardos-channel activation in normal and sickle red blood cells.
abstract: The Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels of human red blood cells (RBCs) (Gardos channels, hIK1, hSK4) can mediate rapid cell dehydration, of particular relevance to the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease. Previous investigations gave widely discrepant estimates of the number of Gardos channels per RBC, from as few as 1 to 3 to as many as 300, with large cell-to-cell differences, suggesting that RBCs could differ extensively in their susceptibility to dehydration by elevated Ca2+. Here we investigated the distribution of dehydration rates induced by maximal and uniform Ca2+ loads in normal (AA) and sickle (SS) RBCs by measuring the time-dependent changes in osmotic fragility and RBC volume distributions. We found a remarkable conservation of osmotic lysis and volume distribution profiles during Ca(2+)-induced dehydration, indicating overall uniformity of dehydration rates among AA and SS RBCs. In light of these results, alternative interpretations were suggested for the previously proposed low estimates and heterogeneity of channel numbers per cell. The results support the view that stochastic Ca2+ permeabilization rather than Gardos-channel variation is the main determinant selecting which SS cells dehydrate through Gardos channels in each sickling episode.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom. vll1@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Virgilio L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Lew
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tiffert
authors.forename: Zipora
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Etzion
authors.forename: Deisy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perdomo
authors.forename: Nuala
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Daw
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bookchin
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D003681:Dehydration / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006262:Health; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051660:Intermediate-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D007476:Ionophores / Q000494:pharmacology; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated / Q000378:metabolism*; D014638:Vanadates / Q000494:pharmacology; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051660:Intermediate-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D007476:Ionophores; C496923:KCNN4 protein, human; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; D014867:Water; D014638:Vanadates; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002118:Calcium