Membrane fluidity and fatty acid composition of phospholipids in erythrocyte membranes of patients with Huntington disease.

A study was undertaken to determine whether alterations in the configuration of erythrocyte membranes of patients with Huntington disease, reported by other investigators, could be reflected in membrane fluidity-viscosity. Since membrane fluidity appears to be related to the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids, these were also examined. Membrane fluidity, which was determined by measuring the intrinsic fluorescence of membranous tryptophan, was found to be normal. Although the range of fatty acid distribution within the various phospholipids tended to vary somewhat, the pattern was not significantly different from that of the controls.