Abstract
Summary
Experiments are reported which demonstrate that DPN required for growth of II influenzae type B is normally present in equal amounts in erythrocytes from patients with sickle cell anemia, sickle cell trait, and normal adults. This material disappears within one hour from sickle cell anemia erythrocyte preparations and in 6 hours from sickle cell trait and normal adult erythrocyte preparations. The difference in rate of disappearance is caused by the greater DPN binding capacity of sickle cell anemia erythrocytes. Hemolysis stimulates binding of DPN; chocolating prevents binding; and peptic digestion frees bound DPN. The site of the bond is the stroma of the erythrocyte.
The author wishes to express his thanks to Dr. Dorothy Conzelman, Children's Memorial Hospital for performing the determinations of alkali resistance, osmotic fragility and hemoglobin electrophoresis; Dr. Guy P. Youmans, Northwestern Univ. Med. Sch., for assistance in providing laboratory facilities; and to Drs. John A. Bigler, David Yi-Yung Hsia, Irving Schulman, and Guy P. Youmans for critically reviewing this manuscript and for their interest in this project since it was initiated.
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