J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 263, Issue 1, 130-134, Jan, 1988
The contribution of magnetic susceptibility effects to transmembrane chemical shift differences in the 31P NMR spectra of oxygenated erythrocyte suspensions
K Kirk and PW Kuchel
Department of Biochemistry, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Triethyl phosphate, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and the hypophosphite ion
all contain the phosphoryl functional group. When added to an oxygenated
erythrocyte suspension, the former compound gives rise to a single 31P NMR
resonance, whereas the latter compounds give rise to separate intra- and
extracellular 31P NMR resonances. On the basis of experiments with intact
oxygenated cell suspensions (in which the hematocrit was varied) and with
oxygenated cell lysates (in which the lysate concentration was varied), it
was concluded that the chemical shifts of the intra- and extracellular
populations of triethyl phosphate differ as a consequence of the
diamagnetic susceptibility of intracellular oxyhemoglobin but that this
difference is averaged by the rapid exchange of the compound across the
cell membrane. The difference in the magnetic susceptibility of the intra-
and extracellular compartments contributes to the observed separation of
the intra- and extracellular resonances of dimethyl methylphosphonate and
hypophosphite. The magnitude of this contribution is, however,
substantially less than that calculated using a simple two-compartment
model and varies with the hematocrit of the suspension. Furthermore, it is
insufficient to fully account for the transmembrane chemical shift
differences observed for dimethyl methylphosphonate and hypophosphite. An
additional effect is operating to move the intracellular resonances of
these compounds to a lower chemical shift. The effect is mediated by an
intracellular component, and the magnitude of the resultant chemical shift
variations depends upon the chemical structure of the phosphoryl compound
involved.