Archives of Histology and Cytology
Online ISSN : 1349-1717
Print ISSN : 0914-9465
ISSN-L : 0914-9465
Original articles
Human erythrocytes possess a cytoplasmic endoskeleton containing β-actin and neurofilament protein
Kazutaka TerasawaTakehito TaguchiRyusuke MomotaIchiro NaitoTakuro MurakamiAiji Ohtsuka
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2006 Volume 69 Issue 5 Pages 329-340

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Abstract

The biconcave disc shape of mammalian erythrocytes has been considered to be maintained only with a membrane underlain by a membranous cytoskeleton. Our improved ion-etching/scanning electron microscopy and saponin-ethanol treatment combined with immunocytochemistry in the human red blood cell revealed the three-dimensional structure of this cytoplasmic endoskeleton apart from the classical membranous cytoskeleton. The endoskeletal meshwork images obtained by the saponin-ethanol treatment corresponded to those by the repeated ion-etching method. The actin-rich endoskeleton was divided into two layers, one superficial and the other deep. The superficial filaments were perpendicularly connected to the membranous cytoskeleton, while the deep filaments formed an irregularly directed complicated meshwork. In the transitional hillside region between the convex periphery and concave center, the endoskeletal filaments containing a neurofilament protein ran parallel to the hillside slope toward the concave center. The endoskeleton of the erythrocyte associating with the membranous cytoskeleton may serve to keep its unique biconcave disc shape deformable, pliable, and restorable against external circumstances.

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© 2006 by International Society of Histology and Cytology
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