W. Zinkham, W. Zinkham
Apr 1, 1962
Citations
0
Influential Citations
2
Citations
Journal
The Journal of Pediatrics
Abstract
O v E R the years the erythrocyte has served the experimental needs of a variety of investigators. Biochemists, chemists, biologists, geneticists, biophysicists, and others have participated in these studies, and the remarkable growth and productivity of their pursuits indicate that the red cell will be a prime research target for many years to come. Persons interested in human biology have been attracted to the red cell for several reasons: it is easily accessible, it can be obtained in pure form, and, under properly controlled circumstances, its supply is limitless. Another, and perhaps more important reason, is the knowledge that metabolic pathways occurring in other tissues may exist in the red cell. Circulating erythrocytes, for example, contain abundant amounts of the enzymes necessary for the conversion of galactose to glucose. One of these enzymes, galactose-l-phosphate uridyl transferase, is deficient in the red cells from patients with galactosemia. 1 As yet there is