IS HEMOGLOBIN AN ESSENTIAL STRUCTURAL COMPONENT OF HUMAN ERYTHROCYTE MEMBRANES?*

Abstract

This investigation of human red cell membranes was undertaken in order to determine whether the presence of hemoglobin in the membrane is es- sential for maintenance of the membrane's struc- tural integrity, which has been evaluated by stud- ies of the shape, lipid content and composition, protein content, osmotic responsiveness, and certain enzymic activities of erythrocyte ghosts from which virtually all of the cellular hemoglobin had been removed.