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Title: Hemoglobin diffusion and the dynamics of oxygen capture by red blood cells

Abstract

Translational diffusion of macromolecules in cell is generally assumed to be anomalous due high macromolecular crowding of the milieu. Red blood cells are a special case of cells filled quasi exclusively (95% of the dry weight of the cell) with an almost spherical protein: hemoglobin. Hemoglobin diffusion has since a long time been recognized as facilitating the rate of oxygen diffusion through a solution. We address in this paper the question on how hemoglobin diffusion in the red blood cells can help the oxygen capture at the cell level and hence to improve oxygen transport. We report a measurement by neutron spin echo spectroscopy of the diffusion of hemoglobin in solutions with increasing protein concentration. We show that hemoglobin diffusion in solution can be described as Brownian motion up to physiological concentration and that hemoglobin diffusion in the red blood cells and in solutions at similar concentration are the same. Finally, using a simple model and the concentration dependence of the diffusion of the protein reported here, we show that hemoglobin concentration observed in human red blood cells (≃330 g.L-1) corresponds to an optimum for oxygen transport for individuals under strong activity.

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Univ. Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France). Laboratoire Leon Brillouin, CEA, CNRS
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Juelich Centre for Neutron Science, outstation at SNS
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1426557
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 7; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Biopolymers in vivo; Kinetics

Citation Formats

Longeville, Stéphane, and Stingaciu, Laura-Roxana. Hemoglobin diffusion and the dynamics of oxygen capture by red blood cells. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-09146-9.
Longeville, Stéphane, & Stingaciu, Laura-Roxana. Hemoglobin diffusion and the dynamics of oxygen capture by red blood cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09146-9
Longeville, Stéphane, and Stingaciu, Laura-Roxana. Tue . "Hemoglobin diffusion and the dynamics of oxygen capture by red blood cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09146-9. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1426557.
@article{osti_1426557,
title = {Hemoglobin diffusion and the dynamics of oxygen capture by red blood cells},
author = {Longeville, Stéphane and Stingaciu, Laura-Roxana},
abstractNote = {Translational diffusion of macromolecules in cell is generally assumed to be anomalous due high macromolecular crowding of the milieu. Red blood cells are a special case of cells filled quasi exclusively (95% of the dry weight of the cell) with an almost spherical protein: hemoglobin. Hemoglobin diffusion has since a long time been recognized as facilitating the rate of oxygen diffusion through a solution. We address in this paper the question on how hemoglobin diffusion in the red blood cells can help the oxygen capture at the cell level and hence to improve oxygen transport. We report a measurement by neutron spin echo spectroscopy of the diffusion of hemoglobin in solutions with increasing protein concentration. We show that hemoglobin diffusion in solution can be described as Brownian motion up to physiological concentration and that hemoglobin diffusion in the red blood cells and in solutions at similar concentration are the same. Finally, using a simple model and the concentration dependence of the diffusion of the protein reported here, we show that hemoglobin concentration observed in human red blood cells (≃330 g.L-1) corresponds to an optimum for oxygen transport for individuals under strong activity.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-017-09146-9},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 7,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Tue Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

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