Abstract
The effect of in vitro treatment of human lymphocytes with rabbit cholesterol-rich serum (RCS) on the membrane microviscosity as well as on the β-adrenergic receptor density has been investigated. RCS treatment of cells resulted in a 30% decrease of receptor density without any effect on membrane microviscosity. A complete recovery was observed incubating the RCS cells either with the 'Active Lipids' (AL) or with heparin. The AL are a mixture of neutral lipids, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine from hen egg yolk known to fluidify the cell membrane. The AL modified membrane microviscosity of control lymphocytes without altering their β-receptor number. These observations support the proposition that β-receptor density of human lymphocytes is not regulated by membrane microviscosity and suggest that probably low density lipoprotein-cholesterol complex is involved in such a regulation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 239-244 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
| Volume | 650 |
| Publication status | Published - 1992 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)