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Red blood cell membranes: structure, function. clinical implications
TIB$16-FEBRUARY1991
histological and morphological information discussed was solid and scholarly. ! was less satisfied with the arguments for genetic control of apoptosis, although this part of the field is truly in its infancy and the attempt is therefore commendable. My only strong criticisms of the work are concerned with several topics that I felt were only briefly discussed, if at all. These include the concept of growth factor withdrawal and the biochemical changes occurring at the cell surface (including transglutaminase
activation), which may be relevant to cell containmev~, and subsequent recognition by tissue macrophages. I would also have liked to see a more dezailed account of the possible relationship between cell division and apoptosis, especially because increasing evidence suggests that shared receptors and signalling processes are involved in both. These details aside, I fouad the book to be well worth owning. I would especially recommend it to those less familiar with the historical development and basic
concepts of programmed cell death. The space devoted to interleukins, cytokines and immune effector cells will be of interest to immunologists and oncolog;,sts alike. The volume will no doubt win over even more enthusiastic supporters of this important biological concept.
Fun and more fun with red cells
chapters on glycophorin structure, its gene structure and associations with phosphoinositides. Also, the ultrastructure and function of the cytoskeleton and the dynamic aspects of structure are described in articles on the red cell shape, membrane protein and lipid diffusion and the rheological properties of the cell. Little emphasis is given to structural aspects of the red cell in Raess and Tunnicliff. The main thrust of this book is given to accounts of solute transport across the cell membrane- which are as detailed, but more concise than in Agre and Parker. The thread correlating structure and function in Agre and Parker is continued with the Na-K ATPase (Mercer, Schneider and Benz) paired with a chapter on active transport of Na and K (Kaplan); the same ground is covered in Raess and Tunnicliff. Similarly, the catalytic mechanisms of the Ca pump (Rega and Garrahan) Is paired with an article on its regulation (Vincenzi) in Raess and Tunnicliff, whereas Vincenzl covers the lot in Agre and Parker. There are excellent articles on the structure and function of the anion transporter (Jennings) and an unbiased account of one- and two-site kinetics models of anion exchange in Agre and Parker. These are matched in Agre and Parker by articles on band3 interactions with native and denatured haemoglobins (Low) and anion transport (Gunn and colleagues). There is a well constructed article on the structure of the sugar transporter (Mueckler) and sugar transport is given a one-site spin (Lowe and Walmsley) in Agre and Parker, whereas in Raess and Tunnicliff, Carruthers examines the pros and cons of both one- and two-site sugar transport kinetics. Additionally, there are parallel treatments of passive Na-dependent systems by Parker and Dunham (Agre and Parker) and by Stewart and Ellory (Raess and Tunnicliff). Both articles discuss the quasi-stoichiometric relationships of the Na, K, CI electroneutral cotransport system in different red cell transport systems. There are also excellent articles on the tran~ferrin receptor (Johnstone),
nucleoside transport (Gati and Paterson) and regulated transport (Haas) in Agre and Parker, which are without any analogue. However, Raess and Tunnicliff have an article on amino acid transport (Tunnicliff), a pharmacology section on the Ca pump, alterations of the anion transporter and action of Ca on K flux, plus Ca fluxes in pathological cells. There is a shorter section on transport disorders (Berkowitz and Griffin) and structural disorders in red cells (Agre) in Agre and Parker. Both books are uniformly well written compendia, with good illustrations and adequate indices. I enjoyed particularly the articles by Jennings and Knauf on anion transport, the article by Stewart and Ellory on chloride-dependent cation transport, the chapter on modelling of cell volume by Lew et aL and that by Carruthers on sugar transport in Raess and Tunnicllff, because they were cogent, critical and, above all, thought provoking. In Agre and Parker, the articles that I found of similar Interest were those by Kaplan, Parker and Dunham and Haas, Surprising omissions from both books were accounts of water transport and effects of parasitic infection on red cell transport. While both books attempt to bridge the gulf in understanding between transporter structure and function, a synthesis in any one topic is still over the horizon- even with the sugar transporters that have been sequenced and about which there is extensive kinetic information, there is no unambiguous picture. The number of binding sites, or their position and any understanding of the conformational changes taking place during transport, is still a matter of speculation. Clearly there is a need for further studies on solute-induced conformational changes and transport properties in mutated transport systems before answers to these questions can be provided - so we can look forward to lots more fun with red cells.
Red BloodCell Membranes:Structure,
Function. Clinical Implications edited by Peter Agre and John C. Parker, Marcel Dekker, 1989. $150.00 (USA and Canada) $180.00 (all other countries) (xx + 733 pages) ISBN 0 824 7 8022 1
The Red Cell Membrane:A Model for
Solute Transport edited by B. U. Raess and G. T~Mcliff, The Humana Press, 1990. :[.83.85 (xx + 475 pages) ISBN 0 89603 158 6 'Despite a heyday of research spanning two decades, the red cell membrane continues to provide new avenues of inquiry', claim Agre and Parker in defense of their book, which swells the already bloated literature on red cell transport. Are two more books in this genre required? Both are multi-authored reviews with similar aims and are addressed to an audience of transport physiologists and biochemists, cell biologists and haematologists. Both attempt to provide a synthesis between structural and kinetic studies of red cell research and for this reason there are areas of overlap. Nevertheless, despite the obvious temptation to discriminate between the alternative versions on Na-pump structure and function, passive Na transport, C! transport and sugar transport, ! find that the books are in many ways complementary. In Agre and Parker, the structural and functional aspects of the red cell cytoskeleton are given considerable emphasis, with articles on interactions between membrane skeletal proteins, the molecular biology of the red cell skeleton, its changes during erythroid differentiation and its abnormal d~.velopment. There are separate
78
DAVID J. McCONKEY Daner-FarberCancerInstitute, Laboratoryof Immunobiology,44 BinneySt, Boston,MA02115, USA.
RICHARD NAFTAL-IN Departmentof Physiology,King'sCollegeLondon, The Strand,LondonWC2R2LS, UK. 4
histological and morphological information discussed was solid and scholarly. ! was less satisfied with the arguments for genetic control of apoptosis, although this part of the field is truly in its infancy and the attempt is therefore commendable. My only strong criticisms of the work are concerned with several topics that I felt were only briefly discussed, if at all. These include the concept of growth factor withdrawal and the biochemical changes occurring at the cell surface (including transglutaminase
activation), which may be relevant to cell containmev~, and subsequent recognition by tissue macrophages. I would also have liked to see a more dezailed account of the possible relationship between cell division and apoptosis, especially because increasing evidence suggests that shared receptors and signalling processes are involved in both. These details aside, I fouad the book to be well worth owning. I would especially recommend it to those less familiar with the historical development and basic
concepts of programmed cell death. The space devoted to interleukins, cytokines and immune effector cells will be of interest to immunologists and oncolog;,sts alike. The volume will no doubt win over even more enthusiastic supporters of this important biological concept.
Fun and more fun with red cells
chapters on glycophorin structure, its gene structure and associations with phosphoinositides. Also, the ultrastructure and function of the cytoskeleton and the dynamic aspects of structure are described in articles on the red cell shape, membrane protein and lipid diffusion and the rheological properties of the cell. Little emphasis is given to structural aspects of the red cell in Raess and Tunnicliff. The main thrust of this book is given to accounts of solute transport across the cell membrane- which are as detailed, but more concise than in Agre and Parker. The thread correlating structure and function in Agre and Parker is continued with the Na-K ATPase (Mercer, Schneider and Benz) paired with a chapter on active transport of Na and K (Kaplan); the same ground is covered in Raess and Tunnicliff. Similarly, the catalytic mechanisms of the Ca pump (Rega and Garrahan) Is paired with an article on its regulation (Vincenzi) in Raess and Tunnicliff, whereas Vincenzl covers the lot in Agre and Parker. There are excellent articles on the structure and function of the anion transporter (Jennings) and an unbiased account of one- and two-site kinetics models of anion exchange in Agre and Parker. These are matched in Agre and Parker by articles on band3 interactions with native and denatured haemoglobins (Low) and anion transport (Gunn and colleagues). There is a well constructed article on the structure of the sugar transporter (Mueckler) and sugar transport is given a one-site spin (Lowe and Walmsley) in Agre and Parker, whereas in Raess and Tunnicliff, Carruthers examines the pros and cons of both one- and two-site sugar transport kinetics. Additionally, there are parallel treatments of passive Na-dependent systems by Parker and Dunham (Agre and Parker) and by Stewart and Ellory (Raess and Tunnicliff). Both articles discuss the quasi-stoichiometric relationships of the Na, K, CI electroneutral cotransport system in different red cell transport systems. There are also excellent articles on the tran~ferrin receptor (Johnstone),
nucleoside transport (Gati and Paterson) and regulated transport (Haas) in Agre and Parker, which are without any analogue. However, Raess and Tunnicliff have an article on amino acid transport (Tunnicliff), a pharmacology section on the Ca pump, alterations of the anion transporter and action of Ca on K flux, plus Ca fluxes in pathological cells. There is a shorter section on transport disorders (Berkowitz and Griffin) and structural disorders in red cells (Agre) in Agre and Parker. Both books are uniformly well written compendia, with good illustrations and adequate indices. I enjoyed particularly the articles by Jennings and Knauf on anion transport, the article by Stewart and Ellory on chloride-dependent cation transport, the chapter on modelling of cell volume by Lew et aL and that by Carruthers on sugar transport in Raess and Tunnicllff, because they were cogent, critical and, above all, thought provoking. In Agre and Parker, the articles that I found of similar Interest were those by Kaplan, Parker and Dunham and Haas, Surprising omissions from both books were accounts of water transport and effects of parasitic infection on red cell transport. While both books attempt to bridge the gulf in understanding between transporter structure and function, a synthesis in any one topic is still over the horizon- even with the sugar transporters that have been sequenced and about which there is extensive kinetic information, there is no unambiguous picture. The number of binding sites, or their position and any understanding of the conformational changes taking place during transport, is still a matter of speculation. Clearly there is a need for further studies on solute-induced conformational changes and transport properties in mutated transport systems before answers to these questions can be provided - so we can look forward to lots more fun with red cells.
Red BloodCell Membranes:Structure,
Function. Clinical Implications edited by Peter Agre and John C. Parker, Marcel Dekker, 1989. $150.00 (USA and Canada) $180.00 (all other countries) (xx + 733 pages) ISBN 0 824 7 8022 1
The Red Cell Membrane:A Model for
Solute Transport edited by B. U. Raess and G. T~Mcliff, The Humana Press, 1990. :[.83.85 (xx + 475 pages) ISBN 0 89603 158 6 'Despite a heyday of research spanning two decades, the red cell membrane continues to provide new avenues of inquiry', claim Agre and Parker in defense of their book, which swells the already bloated literature on red cell transport. Are two more books in this genre required? Both are multi-authored reviews with similar aims and are addressed to an audience of transport physiologists and biochemists, cell biologists and haematologists. Both attempt to provide a synthesis between structural and kinetic studies of red cell research and for this reason there are areas of overlap. Nevertheless, despite the obvious temptation to discriminate between the alternative versions on Na-pump structure and function, passive Na transport, C! transport and sugar transport, ! find that the books are in many ways complementary. In Agre and Parker, the structural and functional aspects of the red cell cytoskeleton are given considerable emphasis, with articles on interactions between membrane skeletal proteins, the molecular biology of the red cell skeleton, its changes during erythroid differentiation and its abnormal d~.velopment. There are separate
78
DAVID J. McCONKEY Daner-FarberCancerInstitute, Laboratoryof Immunobiology,44 BinneySt, Boston,MA02115, USA.
RICHARD NAFTAL-IN Departmentof Physiology,King'sCollegeLondon, The Strand,LondonWC2R2LS, UK. 4