Kantor L, Fackrell H B
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Gerontology. 1994;40(1):1-7. doi: 10.1159/000213567.
Band 3 of rabbit erythrocytes is a binding site for staphylococcal alpha-toxin. Young erythrocytes have a functionally intact band 3 of 100 kD that is hydrolysed as the cells age into a 35-kD fragment. Consequently, aging of erythrocytes renders them more resistant to the action of the toxin. Thus the age of a blood sample will reduce the sensitivity of the hemolytic assay and contribute to the variation of this assay.
