Plasmodium chabaudi-infection of mice: specific activities of erythrocyte membrane-associated enzymes and patterns of proteins and glycoproteins of erythrocyte membrane preparations.

Membrane preparations of erythrocytes from normal and P. chabaudi-infected mice and membrane preparations of P. chabaudi-infected and uninfected erythrocytes from infected mice and separated by zonal centrifugation were characterized by the pattern of proteins and extracted glycoproteins obtained by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by the specific activities of membrane associated enzymes. The protein pattern of the membrane preparation of infected erythrocytes showed similar differences from membrane preparations of normal erythrocytes as those described by Weidekamm et al. for P. berghei. The pattern of glycoproteins extracted by the chloroform-methanol method showed characteristic differences as compared to the controls. A new band (PASi) with a molecular weight of about 165,000 corresponds with the protein band IIa. In membrane preparations of normal erythrocytes and of nonparasitized erythrocytes separated from parasitized erythrocytes by zonal centrifugation was no difference in specific activities of ATPase, adenylate kinase and acetylcholinesterase. Adenylate kinase activity was markedly increased and acetyl-cholinesterase activity was slightly increased in membrane preparations of infected cells. Specific activities of ATPase of membrane preparations of normal and parasitized erythrocytes did not show significant differences. There was a decrease in enzyme activity of ATPase and an increase of acetylcholinesterase in Triton X 100 containing samples. Specific activities of an acid phosphatase were lower in membrane preparations of parasitized cells than in the controls.