Alteration of the erythrocyte membrane during Newcastle disease virus-induced hemolysis.

In attempting to explain the mechanism whereby hemoglobin is released during NDV-induced hemolysis it was found that marker substances like albumin or myoglobin with diameters larger than 30 A are retained in the erythrocyte membrane, whereas low molecular weight material is released. This indicates that NDV-induced hemolysis does not result in the formation of membrane lesions but rather in the alteration of membrane permeability. A prerequisite for this process is the insertion of viral envelope components into the cell membrane. NDV-induced hemolysis can be enhanced by virus-specific antibodies and complement. In this case the release of marker substances is due to membrane lesions since large molecules also are released from the erythrocytes.