Abstract
IN most types of cells the protein constituents of the cytoplasm are constantly being degraded and synthesised1–6. When the proteins in these cells are labelled with a protein precursor, the label disappears from the protein with first order kinetics. The amount of any protein in the cell then is regulated by the rate of its synthesis and degradation, and recent work indicates the importance of this process as a regulatory mechanism in mammalian cells. In contrast, when haemoglobin, which comprises 90% of the protein of the mature mammalian erythrocyte, is labelled, it does not decay with first order kinetics, but survives for a finite period. It disappears from the vascular bed when the intact erythrocyte is removed from circulation. Thus, haemoglobin labels provide excellent material for studies of the life span of the red cell.7
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MORRISON, M., MICHAELS, A., PHILLIPS, D. et al. Life span of erythrocyte membrane protein. Nature 248, 763–764 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/248763a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/248763a0
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