Survival of rabbit and horse erythrocytes in vivo after changing the fatty acyl composition of their phosphatidylcholine.
Abstract: The phospholipid composition and the distribution of phospholipids over the two leaflets of the membrane have been investigated for rabbit and horse erythrocyte membranes. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) comprises 39.4% and 41.3% of the total phospholipid complement of the rabbit and horse erythrocytes, respectively. In both membranes the distribution of this phospholipid is asymmetric: 70% of the PC is present in the outer layer of the rabbit membrane and 60% in that of the horse. The major species of this phospholipid class are the (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl)- and the (1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl)PC. The disaturated species, (1,2-dipalmitoyl)PC, is present in limited amounts only. Partial replacement of the native PC from intact erythrocytes was accomplished with a purified PC specific transfer protein from bovine liver. Replacement of the native PC species with (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl)PC up to 40% of the total PC complement had no effect on the osmotic fragility, the shape and the in vivo survival time of both erythrocyte species. Replacement of the native PC in both rabbit and horse erythrocytes with (1,2-dipalmitoyl)PC up to 20% gave rise to an increased osmotic fragility, a shape change from discocytic to echinocytic and a significant reduction in survival time measured after reinjection of the modified cells. At 30% replacement with (1,2-dipalmitoyl)PC the resulting spheroechinocytes appeared to be cleared from the circulation within 24 h after reinjection. The conclusion can be drawn that the repair mechanisms which may exist in vivo are insufficient to cope with the drastic changes in properties of the erythrocyte membrane which are induced by replacing more than 15% of the native PC by the dipalmitoyl species.
Publication Date: 1985-10-10 PubMed ID: 4041456DOI: 10.1016/0005-2736(85)90171-3Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study explores the impact of altering the fatty acyl composition of Phosphatidylcholine (PC), a phospholipid found in rabbit and horse erythrocyte membranes, and how such changes may affect the survival of these erythrocytes in vivo.
Research Details: Reviewing membrane compositions
- The researchers first looked at the phospholipid composition and how phospholipids are distributed in the membranes of rabbit and horse erythrocytes.
- PC makes up 39.4% of rabbit erythrocytes and 41.3% of horse erythrocytes.
- The distribution of PC was found to be asymmetric, with 70% present in the outer layer of rabbit erythrocyte membranes and 60% in the horse’s.
- They studied the specific types of this phospholipid class, mainly (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl)- and the (1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl)PC, while noting that a saturated type (1,2-dipalmitoyl)PC was present in limited amounts.
Research Findings: Examining the effects of PC replacements
- The researchers replaced the native PC in both horse and rabbit erythrocyte membranes with a specific transfer protein derived from bovine liver.
- Testing, after the replacements, proved that up to 40% replacement of the native PC with (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl)PC did not affect the shape, in vivo survival time, or osmotic fragility (the susceptibility of erythrocytes to break or deform under certain conditions) of the erythrocytes.
- In contrast, they found that replacing up to 20% of the native PC with (1,2-dipalmitoyl)PC led to an increase in osmotic fragility, a shift in the shape of the cells, and a marked reduction in survival time after the modified cells were re-injected into the body.
- Further, at 30% replacement, the saucer-shaped erythrocytes (or discocytes) turned into thorny, primitive forms known as spheroechinocytes, and were cleared from circulation within 24 hours after reinjection.
Conclusion
- The researchers concluded that the body’s natural repair mechanisms are not enough to handle the dramatic changes in the properties of erythrocyte membranes caused by the replacement of more than 15% of the native PC with the dipalmitoyl species.
- This hints at the potentially critical role of PC’s fatty acyl composition in the lifespan and function of erythrocytes in vivo, opening up new avenues to investigate this further in relation to diseases that affect red blood cells.
Cite This Article
APA
Kuypers FA, Easton EW, van den Hoven R, Wensing T, Roelofsen B, op den Kamp JA, van Deenen LL.
(1985).
Survival of rabbit and horse erythrocytes in vivo after changing the fatty acyl composition of their phosphatidylcholine.
Biochim Biophys Acta, 819(2), 170-178.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-2736(85)90171-3 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Erythrocyte Aging
- Erythrocyte Membrane / metabolism
- Fatty Acids / blood
- Horses
- Osmotic Fragility
- Phosphatidylcholines / blood
- Phospholipids / blood
- Rabbits
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Virtanen JA, Cheng KH, Somerharju P. Phospholipid composition of the mammalian red cell membrane can be rationalized by a superlattice model. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1998 Apr 28;95(9):4964-9.
- van den Boom MA, Wassink MG, Roelofsen B, de Fouw NJ, Op den Kamp JA. The influence of a fish oil-enriched diet on the phospholipid fatty acid turnover in the rabbit red cell membrane in vivo. Lipids 1996 Mar;31(3):285-93.
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