Understanding the relation between red cell morphology and its membrane composition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55184/ijpas.v78i01.535Abstract
Red blood cell morphological alterations are the most common alterations arising from mutations of genes coding various red cell membrane proteins and lipids. Healthy red cell membrane has a unique composition where lipid bilayer is linked to spectrin built membrane skeleton responsible for the exceptional features of flexibility and mechanical stability of the cell, thereby allowing the cell to travel through fine capillaries and optimize gas exchange. The alterations of various proteins of red cell membrane cytoskeleton and its connection with lipid bilayer result in loss of membrane cohesion, leading to surface area loss, decreased mechanical stability, membrane fragmentation, and various hereditary morphological disorders such as spherocytosis, stomatocytosis, elliptocytosis, etc. There are multiple studies in the literature relating to morphological alterations of red cells in health and disease, but no such suitable review is present on the relationship between various morphological anomalies and membrane composition. In this review, we highlight the probable aspects of membrane composition changes leading to morphological alteration of red cells and will also enlighten the molecular basis behind these changes.
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