The ferritin content of human red blood cells during the replacement of embryonic cells by fetal cells☆

[摘要] Maturehumanembryonicerythrocytes(hemoglobinis≥90%ofthecellularprotein)containedatleast20timesasmuchferritinashumanadulterythrocytes,suggestingthepossibilitythattheembryonicredcellsparticipateinironstorageastheydoinotherembryonicorlarvalvertebrates.Theferritincontentofmatureredcellsinthecirculationdeclinedwhenfetalredcellsreplacedembryonicredcells;thecellreplacementwasmonitoredbythedisappearanceofembryonicε-chainsandtheappearanceofthefetalglobinchains,γAandγG.Aconstantratioof0.67wasobtainedforγGγA+γGfromthefirstdetectableappearance(4weeksafterconception)until13weeks,avaluewhichissimilartothevaluepreviouslyobtainedat20weeksgestationandbirthbuthigherthanthatobservableinadults;thus,bothγGandγAchainsareproducedinsimilaramountsthroughoutgestation.Thehighlevelsofferritininnormalhumanembryonicerythrocytesemphasizethesimilarityoferythropoiesisinhumanembryosandothervertebrates.Inaddition,theresultsshowthatredcellferritincanbeusedasamarkerforstudyingthemechanismofinductionofembryonicerythropoiesisinculturedcelllines,suchasK562fromhumanchronicmyelocyticleukemia,andthatferritincontentmayalsoserveasamarkerforcellulartransformationsinvolvingreversionstoembryonicerythropoiesis.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）