Low concentrations of macromolecular solutes significantly affect electrofusion yield in erythrocyte ghosts.

Electrofusion yields in rabbit erythrocyte ghosts containing various amounts of hemoglobin, bovine serum albumin, or dextran at low concentrations were measured as a function of pulse field strength and pulse decay half-time. The presence of any of the macromolecules in low concentrations caused fusion yields to be significantly higher than when the ghosts were white (i.e., containing only buffer). The fusion yield enhancement was also critically dependent on the parameters of the electric field pulse. The fusion yield was also significantly affected by small changes in the concentration of hemoglobin when it was present outside the ghost membranes in the suspension buffer.