Fractionation of erythroblasts with affinity-mediated modifications of their electrical properties using counter-current distribution.

We have previously reported the possibility of modifying the electrical properties of cells by means of their interaction with a specific ligand carrying a polyelectrolyte (Anal Biochem 200: 280-285). This selective modification of receptor-containing cells changed their partition in a charge-sensitive aqueous two-phase system. We here present the fractionation of electrically modified erythroblasts by the use of an automatic multiple-partition procedure, counter-current distribution. The cells were fractionated according to the degree of differentiation of erythroblasts as evaluated from the hemoglobin content as well as the relative activities of the two enzymes, 3-phosphoglycerate kinase and bisphospho-glycerate mutase.