Characteristics of ether-linked glycerophospholipids in Friend erythroleukaemia cells differentiated by dimethyl sulphoxide or hexamethylenebisacetamide and in non-inducible clones treated with the inducers.

The present study deals with changes in ether-linked glycerophospholids which accompany differentiation of Friend erythroleukaemia (FEL) cells by dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) and hexamethylenebisacetamide (HMBA). We also tested clones of FEL cells non-inducible by DMSO or HMBA for ether-linked lipid changes not related to the differentiation process. FEL cells contained appreciable proportions of alkenylacyl and alkylacyl subfractions in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Compared with FEL cells, clones non-inducible by DMSO or HMBA had a greater amount of alkenylacyl PE associated with a lack of alkenylacyl PC. The differentiation of FEL cells by DMSO or HMBA was accompanied by a reduction of alkylacyl PE and PC. DMSO- and HMBA-differentiated FEL cells showed changes in alkenyl- and alkyl-chain profiles, some of which were also observed in non-inducible FEL cells treated with DMSO or HMBA.