Figure 2.

Hypoxia affects the deformability of erythrocyte membrane

(A) Competition of deoxyHb with ankyrin for band 3 reduces erythrocyte membrane deformability by separating the cytoskeleton from the membrane.

(B) The way of NO production under different hypoxia levels and its multiple effects on erythrocyte membrane deformability.

(C) Hypoxia leads to the release of Mg²⁺ bound to deoxyHb, which makes band 3 more susceptible to phosphorylation. The phosphorylated band 3 detaches from the cytoskeleton to form mobile band 3, which further aggregates into clusters, resulting in a decrease in erythrocyte membrane deformability.

(D) Hypoxia causes changes in the number and activity of enzymes on the cell membrane resulting in a decrease in the deformability of the erythrocyte membrane.