Inside-Out Red Cell Membrane Vesicles: Preparation and Purification

Plasma membranes purified from human red cells were converted into small vesicles by disruption in alkaline buffer of low ionic strength. Most of these vesicles were inside-out. The presence of divalent cations prevented this inversion. The inside-out vesicles were separated from right-side-out vesicles by centrifugation to equilibrium in dextran density gradients.