Cell membrane fluidity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) lymphocytes and its relation to membrane receptor expression.

Cell membrane fluidity (CMF), Ig receptor expression and ecto-ATPase activity were investigated in lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and from healthy controls. Significant differences were observed in the parameters of individual CLL cases as compared to normal controls. These findings suggest that malignant transformation of lymphocytes to CLL cells is accompanied by disturbances in cell membrane structure and function, which can be modulated to some extent by exogenous influences on the lipid composition of the cell membrane. The results also suggest, however, that CLL is apparently an inhomogeneous disease with major variations in the investigated parameters among individual cases.