Maturation dependence of fluoride-sensitive adenylate cyclase in red blood cells.

Adenylate cyclase activity stimulated by fluoride was studied in membranes from different red cell populations produced by bleeding anemia in rabbits. The cells were fractionated by density gradient centrifugation in dextrane. The highest adenylate cyclase activity was found in the reticulocyte fractions with low density and the highest RNA-content. No activity was found in the mature erythrocytes. It is apparent that the adenylate cyclase in the red blood cells can serve as a useful indicator of the maturation process.