Fluidity of erythrocyte membranes from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: studies in intact erythrocytes and in ghosts.

We have studied the alterations of fluidity in intact erythrocytes and in erythrocyte membranes from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The interest of this study was to comparison directly two types of results; these demonstrate an increase of fluidity in the erythrocytic membranes, no changes are present when the label is incorporated in intact erythrocytes. It might be inferred that hypotonic haemolysis removes components that are more weakly bound in Duchenne membranes, and that exert an immobilizing effect on the membrane lipids.