title: Erythrocyte signal transduction pathways, their oxygenation dependence and functional significance.
abstract: Erythrocytes play a key role in human and vertebrate metabolism. Tissue O2 supply is regulated by both hemoglobin (Hb)-O2 affinity and erythrocyte rheology, a key determinant of tissue perfusion. Oxygenation-deoxygenation transitions of Hb may lead to re-organization of the cytoskeleton and signalling pathways activation/deactivation in an O2-dependent manner. Deoxygenated Hb binds to the cytoplasmic domain of the anion exchanger band 3, which is anchored to the cytoskeleton, and is considered a major mechanism underlying the oxygenation-dependence of several erythrocyte functions. This work discusses the multiple modes of Hb-cytoskeleton interactions. In addition, it reviews the effects of Mg2+, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, NO, shear stress and Ca2+, all factors accompanying the oxygenation-deoxygenation cycle in circulating red cells. Due to the extensive literature on the subject, the data discussed here, pertain mainly to human erythrocytes whose O2 affinity is modulated by 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, ectothermic vertebrate erythrocytes that use ATP, and to bird erythrocytes that use inositol pentaphosphate.
authors.affiliation: I.M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.
authors.forename: Nadezhda N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Barvitenko
authors.forename: Norma C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Adragna
authors.forename: Roy E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen