PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Scientists use light to uncover the cause of sickle cell disease

2013-11-05
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Scientists use light to uncover the cause of sickle cell disease In sickle cell disease, hemoglobin—the oxygen-carrying component of blood—forms fibers that stiffen red blood cells and cause life-threatening symptoms. Using light-scattering techniques to study the detailed thermodynamics of this process, researchers reporting in the November 5 issue of the Biophysical Journal, a Cell Press publication, have determined the strength of the forces that hold these fibers intact. The information could be used to design therapies that interfere with the sickling process.

Red blood cells resemble beanbags whose contents are molecules of hemoglobin that give the cells their "squishiness" by slipping past one another rather than sticking together. This is no easy feat, because the molecules have positive and negative charges spread around their surfaces, as well as oily patches that repel water and thus provide natural partners. Yet it's thought that when two places of mutual attraction meet, locations of repulsion also come together and keep the net sum of attraction at zero.

In rare cases, such as sickle cell disease, a mutation in hemoglobin disrupts this delicate cancellation of attractive spots, and large stiff fibers, or polymers, of hemoglobin form inside normally pliable red blood cells.

Dr. Frank Ferrone, of Drexel University in Philadelphia, and Dr. Yihua Wang, currently at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, discovered that the cancellation is not as perfect as previously thought, however. In fact, hemoglobin molecules do indeed associate, especially when the temperature is high or when hemoglobin solutions are concentrated. "This is true for normal hemoglobin, and even more pronounced for sickle hemoglobin," says Dr. Ferrone. His team found that under physiological conditions, sickle cell hemoglobin molecules are more likely to be found in pairs than as solitary molecules.

The researchers made these discoveries while conducting experiments with light-scattering techniques: they measured how rays of light are deflected by sickle hemoglobin fibers in order to calibrate the strength of the connections that hold them together. "By comparing the propensity of molecules of sickle hemoglobin to associate into pairs with the propensity of normal hemoglobin to do so, the relative strengths of the two major bonds within the sickle polymer were determined. The sickle cell mutation site was far stronger," Dr. Ferrone explains. "This makes the sickle hemoglobin polymers behave much like long tiny coil springs and helps us to understand their stiffness, which causes so much difficulty for affected individuals."

The findings could lead to new drug therapies that target the regions of hemoglobin that are responsible for polymer formation.

###

Biophysical Journal, Wang et al.: "Dissecting the Energies that Stabilize Sickle Hemoglobin Polymers."

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New findings could overcome major stumbling blocks to tissue cryopreservation for medical care

2013-11-05
New findings could overcome major stumbling blocks to tissue cryopreservation for medical care

The oldest ice core

2013-11-05
The oldest ice core Finding a 1.5 million-year record of Earth's climate How far into the past can ice-core records go? Scientists have now identified regions in Antarctica they say could store information about Earth's climate and greenhouse gases extending as ...

SCIENCE CHINA chemistry special topic: Extraction of uranium from seawater

2013-11-05
SCIENCE CHINA chemistry special topic: Extraction of uranium from seawater 2013 No.11 issue of SCIENCE CHINA Chemistry published a special topic on extraction of uranium from Seawater recently. Owing to the fast economic growing and the concern over greenhouse gases and ...

VC predicts the motion of the ocean

2013-11-05
VC predicts the motion of the ocean ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Young AO, has just published research that will help you every morning with the surf report. Research led by the Vice-Chancellor will allow oceanographers and meteorologists to better ...

Emissions pricing revenues could overcompensate profit losses of fossil fuel owners

2013-11-05
Emissions pricing revenues could overcompensate profit losses of fossil fuel owners Yet the instrument of pricing global CO2 emissions could generate a revenue of 32 trillion US dollars over the 21st century, exceeding by far the ...

Machines learn to detect breast cancer

2013-11-05
Machines learn to detect breast cancer Software that can recognize patterns in data is commonly used by scientists and economics. Now, researchers in the US have applied similar algorithms to help them more accurately diagnose breast cancer. The researchers outline details ...

New discovery could dramatically reduce leishmaniasis treatment doses and side effects

2013-11-05
New discovery could dramatically reduce leishmaniasis treatment doses and side effects An 83 percent improvement in efficacy in the drug most commonly used to treat leishmaniasis The Amphotericin B (AmB) is the main active ingredient in the most effective ...

Hypersensitivity to pain produced by early life stress is worsened by later stress exposure

2013-11-05
Hypersensitivity to pain produced by early life stress is worsened by later stress exposure Reports new study in Biological Psychiatry Philadelphia, PA, November 5, 2013 – Childhood neglect and abuse, whether physical or psychological, confers a lifetime vulnerability ...

Muggings more than double in London after dark

2013-11-05
Muggings more than double in London after dark Muggers in London strike around two and half times more often during hours of darkness then in daylight, a new study shows. The first study to look at the hourly pattern of street robbery in London found a 160% rise ...

New ligament discovered in the human knee

2013-11-05
New ligament discovered in the human knee Two knee surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have discovered a previously unknown ligament in the human knee. This ligament appears to play an important role in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. ‪Despite ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health

High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models

A router for photons

Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

[Press-News.org] Scientists use light to uncover the cause of sickle cell disease