Cellular engineering: crash tests on human erythrocytes reveal hidden material properties of cellular proteins

Human red blood cells (RBC) undergo a sudden change from blocking to passing through 1-/spl mu/m-micropipettes at a transition temperature (Tc) of 36.4/spl deg/C. For resealed RBC-ghosts this transition occurs at 28.3/spl deg/C (Tg). These findings are attributed to elastomeric transitions of hemoglobin from being gel-like to a fluid and of membrane proteins such as spectrin.