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Scattering Studies of the Isolated Red Blood Cell Skeleton, a Biological Two-Dimensional Polymer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

K. Svoboda ,
C.F. Schmidt ,
N. Lei ,
C.R. Safinya ,
S.M. Block  and
D. Branton
K. Svoboda
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 Rowland Institute for Science, 100 Cambridge Pkwy., Cambridge, MA 02142
C.F. Schmidt
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 Rowland Institute for Science, 100 Cambridge Pkwy., Cambridge, MA 02142
N. Lei
Affiliation:
Exxon Research and Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ 08801
C.R. Safinya
Affiliation:
Exxon Research and Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ 08801
S.M. Block
Affiliation:
Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 Rowland Institute for Science, 100 Cambridge Pkwy., Cambridge, MA 02142
D. Branton
Affiliation:
Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
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Abstract

We studied the conformation of the membrane skeleton of human red blood cells (RBC) after detergent extraction of RBC ghosts, using video microscopy, light scattering, and synchrotronbased small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). RBC membrane skeletons are two-dimensionally connected, triangulated networks of flexible, polyionic proteins. Immediately after extraction, the skeletons exhibited large-scale thermal undulations and deformed strongly in weak shear flow. Screening of electrostatic repulsion by immersion in high ionic strength buffer led to shrinkage, while the shell-like conformations and the flexibility of the skeletons were preserved. Under high ionic strength conditions (1 M monovalent salt), the static structure factor, S(q), showed two power law regimes S(q) ∝ q −α, with α <≈ 2.0 in the range of wave vectors 4×10−4 Å−1 < g < 8×10−4 Å−1, and α = 2.3 ± 0.1 in the range of wave vectors 8×10−4 Å−1 < q < l×10−1 Å−1. The same power law behavior was observed in low ionic strength buffer (25 mM salt) for q < 2×10−3 Å−1. This result is not consistent with the occurence of a crumpling transition during skeleton shrinkage. The observed form of the static structure factor, with a transition between two regimes with different power law exponents, presents evidence for the theoretically predicted flat phase of 2D-polymers.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 248: Symposium O – Complex Fluids , 1991 , 63
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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