title: Effect of membrane cholesterol enrichment or depletion on the partition behavior of human erythrocytes in dextran-poly(ethylene glycol) aqueous phases.
abstract: It has previously been shown that by appropriate manipulation of polymer concentrations and ionic composition and concentration one can select whether charge-associated or lipid-related membrane surface properties are reflected by cell partition in dextran-poly(ethylene glycol) aqueous two-phase systems (Walter, H. (1977) in Methods of Cell Separation ((Catsimpoolas, N., ed.), Vol. 1, pp. 307-354, Plenum Press, New York). In the current experiments we have studied that partition behavior of human erythrocytes and found that not only lipid-related but also charge-associated membrane properties are altered as a consequence of cholesterol-enrichment or -depletion. Results further indicate that, just as cell partition in charged phase systems reflects membrane charge-associated properties not readily measured by means other than partition (Brooks, D.E., Seaman, G.V.F. and Walter, H. (1971) Nat. New Biol. 234, 61--62; Walter, H., Tung, R., Jackson, L.J. and Seaman, G.V.F. (1972) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 48, 565--571), cell partition in uncharged phases reflects membrane lipid-related properties also not readily measured by other means.
mesh_terms: D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D003377:Countercurrent Distribution; D003911:Dextrans; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D002784:Cholesterol