Red cell metabolism and function

In the last six years, a remarkable series of studies have demonstrated an intimate relationship between red cell metabolism and the function of the cell as an organ of gas transport. First came the demonstration of binding of organic phosphocompounds of the red cell to hemoglobin; this was followed by studies that demonstrated modification of hemoglobin oxygen affinity by such binding. At present we are in an exhilirating phase of accrual of data showing that the levels of these phosphorylated intermediates can be rapidly altered in the red cell to modulate hemoglobin function. At one time it was said that the red cell was an inert bag full of hemoglobin. Now we know not only that the cell has an active metabolism crucial to its viability, but that this metabolism is just as crucial to the whole organism in the proper adjustment of oxygen transport. On October first, second and third, 1969, red cell biochemists, general biochemists, geneticists, cardio-pulmonary physiologists, exercise physiologists, experts in blood storage, and representatives from many other disciplines met in the Towsley Center for Continuing Medical Education at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, to present recent findings and discuss developments in this new interdisciplinary field. The meeting was dedicated to Dr. Alfred Chanutin, Professor Emeritus of the University of Virginia, to honor his retirement in 1967 and in recognition of his great contributions to the studies outlined in the first paragraph of this preface. The program dealt with our present understanding of binding of organic phosphocompounds, and certain other substances, to hemoglobin, and how the binding affects oxygen dissociation properties. Interaction with the acid-base status of the blood was emphasized, as was interaction with carboxyhemoglobin, particularly in smokers. Changes in levels of phosphorylated intermediates in several hypoxic conditions, and the resulting effect on oxygen dissociation, were reported. Metabolic control mechanisms in the red cell and mechanisms of pulmonary and systemic gas transport were discussed at length. The effect of exercise on gas transport and red cell intermediates, and comparative aspects of gas transport were considered. An entire session was devoted to the serious problem of the capability of stored blood to transport oxygen after transfusion, particularly after the first 1-2 weeks of storage, in view of the marked decline of organic phosphocompounds during storage. This volume, the Proceedings of the above Conference, represents a comprehensive coverage of these new and important developments. The major part of the volume is comprised of the formal manuscripts, which present a rich bounty of new data and formulations. At the end is appended the recorded discussions of the papers, in sequence according to the order of the presentations. In toto, the volume displays the interchange of current thinking on the problems of oxygen transport in health and disease.