Fluidity difference in the surface membrane lipid core of human lymphoblastoid and lymphoma cell lines.

Twenty-five human hematopoietic cell lines established from patients with malignant and non-malignant diseases have been studied for membrane fluidity. The degree of fluidity in the surface membranes was quantitatively monitored by fluorescence polarization analysis of the fluorescence probe, 1,6-diphenyl 1,3,5-hexatriene, when embedded in the lipid region of the surface membrane of intact cells. The results have shown that cells derived from malignant diseases have a more fluid lipid layer in their surface membrane than cells derived from non-malignant disorders. It is, therefore, suggested that a quantitative analysis of fluidity differences in the cell surface membrane lipid core can be of value to the studies on basic differences between normal and malignant cell lines established from the human hematopoietic system.