TY - JOUR
T1 - Transduction of reducing power across the plasma membrane by reduced glutathione. A 1H-NMR spin-echo study of intact human erythrocytes
AU - Ciriolo, M. R.
AU - Paci, M.
AU - Sette, M.
AU - De Martino, A.
AU - Bozzi, A.
AU - Rotilio, G.
PY - 1993
Y1 - 1993
N2 - The NMR signal of reduced glutathione (GSH) was monitored in intact human erythrocytes by the 1H spin-echo Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequence. Addition of GSH, which was unable to cross the erythrocyte membrane, produced an approximate two-fold increase of the GSH signal in glucose-depleted cells. Addition of oxidised glutathione (GSSG), did not affect the signal, and addition of GSH to hemolysates gave a much smaller increase. Reduction of internal GSSG by NADPH-dependent enzymes was excluded by experiments with glucose-supplied or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient cells. Involvement of external thiol groups of the erythrocyte membrane was shown by the lack of effect in cells treated with an impermeable thiol-blocking compound. Involvement of spectrin was indicated by the proportional loss of the effect in erythrocytes with variable genetic deficiency of spectrin. Protein-glutathione mixed disulfides appeared to be the source of the NMR response since an increase of their content, by diamide treatment or aging procedures, produced a higher GSH signal, while their reduction by permeable reductants gave the opposite effect. It is concluded that GSH can transduce its reducing power by a thiol/disulfide exchange mechanism that sequentially involves sulfur-rich proteins spanning across the erythrocyte membrane.
AB - The NMR signal of reduced glutathione (GSH) was monitored in intact human erythrocytes by the 1H spin-echo Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequence. Addition of GSH, which was unable to cross the erythrocyte membrane, produced an approximate two-fold increase of the GSH signal in glucose-depleted cells. Addition of oxidised glutathione (GSSG), did not affect the signal, and addition of GSH to hemolysates gave a much smaller increase. Reduction of internal GSSG by NADPH-dependent enzymes was excluded by experiments with glucose-supplied or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient cells. Involvement of external thiol groups of the erythrocyte membrane was shown by the lack of effect in cells treated with an impermeable thiol-blocking compound. Involvement of spectrin was indicated by the proportional loss of the effect in erythrocytes with variable genetic deficiency of spectrin. Protein-glutathione mixed disulfides appeared to be the source of the NMR response since an increase of their content, by diamide treatment or aging procedures, produced a higher GSH signal, while their reduction by permeable reductants gave the opposite effect. It is concluded that GSH can transduce its reducing power by a thiol/disulfide exchange mechanism that sequentially involves sulfur-rich proteins spanning across the erythrocyte membrane.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 8354277
AN - SCOPUS:0027279991
VL - 215
SP - 711
EP - 718
JO - European Journal of Biochemistry
JF - European Journal of Biochemistry
SN - 0014-2956
IS - 3
ER -