BRIEF REPORT: Freeze-Cleaving of Red Cell Membranes in Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

Electron microscopic studies on dried isolated red cell ghosts have been reported to show lesions associated with cell membranes in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). In this study, carbon-platinum replicas of membranes of freeze-cleaved, partially hydrated PNH red cells and isolated PNH cell ghosts failed to confirm the existence of these abnormalities. This suggests that the previously described lesions are the products of drying artifacts, although they may reflect hidden structural differences between PNH and normal red cell membranes.