Modulation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate 31P-NMR resonance positions by red cell membrane shape.

Na+ transport in the red cells of the dog is dependent on cell volume, a 20% change in cell volume leading to a 25-fold increase in apparent Na+ flux; the effect is dependent upon metabolic energy. We have found that swelling and shrinking dog red cells causes a shift in the 31P-NMR peak of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, which is present in dog red cells at 5.5 mM. Control experiments indicate that the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate resonance peak shifts may not be attributed to: interaction with hemoglobin, changes in cell pH, ionic strength, diamagnetic susceptibility or small changes in the Mg2+/2,3-diphosphoglycerate ratio. Experiments with chlorpromazine and pentanol which alter red cell membrane area by a mechanism different from osmotic swelling suggest that 2,3-diphosphoglycerate interacts with a binding site in the cell that is dependent upon the physical condition of the dog red cell membrane.