Elevated levels of redox regulators, membrane-bound globin chains, and cytoskeletal protein fragments in hereditary spherocytosis erythrocyte proteome.

OBJECTIVE: Hereditary spherocytosis (HS), a common inherited hemolytic anemia characterized by decreased deformability, reduced surface to volume ratio, and increased osmotic fragility of the spheroidal erythrocytes, is associated with several mutations of α- and ß-spectrin, ankyrin, band 3, band 4.2. HS manifests itself with high degrees of clinical heterogeneity and the molecular events leading to premature hemolysis of the spherocytes are unclear. We have employed proteomic techniques to identify differentially regulated proteins in the membrane and hemoglobin-depleted cytosol of HS erythrocytes. METHODS: We have employed 2-D gel electrophoresis and tandem matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight/time of flight mass spectrometry to investigate the differential proteome profiling of membrane and hemoglobin-depleted cytosol of erythrocytes isolated from the peripheral blood samples of HS patients and normal volunteers. RESULTS: Our study showed that redox regulators are up-regulated; while a co-chaperone and a nucleotide kinase are down-regulated in HS erythrocyte cytosol. We observed elevated levels of membrane-associated globin chains and low-molecular weight fragments of several major cytoskeletal proteins. CONCLUSION: The observed changes in the erythrocyte proteomes indicate altered redox regulation, nucleotide metabolism, protein aggregation and/or degradation, cytoskeletal disorganization, and severe oxidative stress in HS. Taken together, this study could enlighten upon disease progression and pathophysiology of HS.