Interaction of added amphiphilic lipids with the membrane of intact human erythrocytes to induce change in the cell shape.

Addition of an appropriate amount of amphiphilic lipid, such as fatty acid, lysophospholipid and medium-chain phospholipid, into a suspension of human erythrocytes (pH 7.4) at 37 degree C resulted in their incorporation into the membrane and induction of a cell shape change of crenation (echinocyte-spherocyte) type without causing hemolysis. The extent of the shape change was dependent on the amount of the lipid incorporated and the crenation disappeared on removing the incorporated molecules from the membrane. The crenation induced by acidic lipids was further altered drastically by resuspending the treated cells in media of pH 6, 7, and 8, whereas that induced by choline-phospholipid or -lysophospholipid was not so pH-dependent. Based on these results, the mechanism of this shape change is discussed.