Klein A, Mercure L, Gordon P, Bruser B, Ramcharitar S, Malkin A, Wainberg M A
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Sunnybrook Medical Center, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
AIDS. 1990 Sep;4(9):865-7. doi: 10.1097/00002030-199009000-00005.
Elevations in the levels of unsaturated fatty acids (FAs) in membrane lipids lead to an increase in cell membrane fluidity and may also be involved in cell fusion and death through the loss of normal membrane function and integrity. Since the infection of susceptible cells with HIV leads to cell fusion and subsequent loss of viability, the present study was undertaken to see whether HIV infection can alter the relative content of unsaturated FAs in the host cell membrane and to determine whether this change correlates with cell death. Peripheral lymphocytes (PBLs) of a healthy donor and two CD4+ cell lines were chosen: MT-4, which is killed following HIV infection, with significant cell death being observed 5 days postinfection, and H9 which is not killed. Measurements of FA content of the two cell lines and PBLs, either before or at 6, 24, and 48 h after infection, showed a significant rise in the concentration of unsaturated FAs followed by a drop in the concentration of saturated FAs in the MT-4 cell line. With regard to the H9 cell line similar results were obtained at 6 h from infection. However, at 24 and 48 h the concentrations of saturated FAs returned to preinfection levels while the concentrations of unsaturated FAs dropped to levels even lower than those obtained at zero time. No significant changes in FA composition were found with PBLs.
膜脂中不饱和脂肪酸（FAs）水平的升高会导致细胞膜流动性增加，还可能通过正常膜功能和完整性的丧失参与细胞融合和死亡。由于HIV感染易感细胞会导致细胞融合及随后的活力丧失，因此开展了本研究，以观察HIV感染是否会改变宿主细胞膜中不饱和脂肪酸的相对含量，并确定这种变化是否与细胞死亡相关。选取了一名健康供体的外周血淋巴细胞（PBLs）以及两种CD4+细胞系：MT-4，在感染HIV后会死亡，感染后5天可观察到明显的细胞死亡；还有H9，不会被杀死。对两种细胞系及PBLs在感染前以及感染后6、24和48小时的脂肪酸含量进行测量，结果显示MT-4细胞系中不饱和脂肪酸浓度显著升高，随后饱和脂肪酸浓度下降。对于H9细胞系，在感染后6小时获得了类似结果。然而，在24和48小时时，饱和脂肪酸浓度恢复到感染前水平，而不饱和脂肪酸浓度降至甚至低于零时刻的水平。PBLs的脂肪酸组成未发现显著变化。
