title: Comparison between flow cytometry and fluorometry for the kinetic measurement of membrane fluidity parameters.
abstract: Steady-state fluorescence polarization measurements obtained with a flow cytometer were compared with those obtained with an SLM subnanosecond fluorometer. Measurements were made over time after exposure of HeLa cells to the membrane probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), 1-[4-(trimethylamino)phenyl]-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH), or [12-(9:anthroyloxy) stearate (12-AS). After 1 min, anisotropy values of 0.28 (DPH), 0.28 (TMA-DPH), and 0.21 (12-AS) were obtained. Thereafter, the anisotropy of DPH- and 12-AS-labelled cells rapidly decreased (0.18 and 0.12 after 5 min), while that of TMA-DPH-labelled cells changed only slightly (0.27 after 30 min), suggesting that DPH and 12-AS, unlike TMA-DPH, do not remain anchored in the HeLa plasma membrane, but translocate to more fluid environments inside the cell. These suggestions were confirmed by visual observation with fluorescence microscopy. There was no significant difference between the results obtained with the flow cytometer and those obtained with the fluorometer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0614.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Grogan
mesh_terms: D004161:Diphenylhexatriene; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D005470:Fluorometry / Q000379:methods*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D013229:Stearic Acids
chemical_list: D013229:Stearic Acids; C026653:12-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene