Macroscopic domain formation during cooling in the platelet plasma membrane: an issue of low cholesterol content.

There has been ample debate on whether cell membranes can present macroscopic lipid domains as predicted by three-component phase diagrams obtained by fluorescence microscopy. Several groups have argued that membrane proteins and interactions with the cytoskeleton inhibit the formation of large domains. In contrast, some polarizable cells do show large regions with qualitative differences in lipid fluidity.

Phospholipid vesicles increase the survival of freeze-dried human red blood cells.

In a previous report [Z. Török, G. Satpathy, M.

Loading red blood cells with trehalose: a step towards biostabilization.

A method for freeze-drying red blood cells (RBCs) while maintaining a high degree of viability has important implications in blood transfusion and clinical medicine. The disaccharide trehalose, found in animals capable of surviving dehydration can aid in this process. As a first step toward RBC preservation, we present a method for loading RBCs with trehalose.