Open AccessCharacterization of lipid domains in erythrocyte membranes.
Author(s) -
William Rodgers,
Michael Gläser
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.88.4.1364
Subject(s) - membrane , phospholipid , red blood cell , biochemistry , vesicle , chemistry , fluorescence microscope , protein–lipid interaction , membrane protein , membrane lipids , cell membrane , biophysics , membrane fluidity , biology , fluorescence , integral membrane protein , physics , quantum mechanics
Fluorescence digital imaging microscopy was used to study the lateral distribution of the lipid components in erythrocyte membranes. Intact erythrocytes labeled with phospholipids containing a fluorophore attached to one fatty acid chain showed an uneven distribution of the phospholipids in the membrane thereby demonstrating the presence of membrane domains. The enrichment of the lipotropic compound chlor-promazine in domains in intact erythrocytes also suggested that the domains are lipid-enriched regions. Similar membrane domains were present in erythrocyte ghosts. The phospholipid enrichment was increased in the domains by inducing membrane protein aggregation. Double-labeling experiments were done to determine the relative distributions of different phospholipids in the membrane. Vesicles made from extracted lipids did not show the presence of domains consistent with the conclusion that membrane proteins were responsible for creating the domains. Overall, it was found that large domains exist in the red blood cell membrane with unequal enrichment of the different phospholipid species.