Membrane studies in Huntington's disease: steady state and time-dependent fluorescence spectroscopy of intact lymphocytes.
Recent evidence suggests that a membrane abnormality, expressed in peripheral tissues such as the lymphocyte, may be present in Huntington's disease (HD). Both steady state and time-dependent fluorescence spectroscopic methods were performed on lymphocytes from patients with HD and from age- and sex-matched controls. Lymphocyte membrane dynamics were studied, using fluorescence probes with known specificity for certain membrane areas. These probes included 4-phenylspiro(furan-2(3H)-1'-phthalan)-3,3'-dione (fluorescamine), which binds to surface membrane primary amines, 1-8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonate (1,8-ANS), which inserts at the aqueous-hydrocarbon interface, and 12(9) anthroyl stearate (12(9)AS), which inserts deep in the hydrocarbon core. Steady state fluorescence studies, using fluorescamine, 1-8 ANS, or 12(9)AS, revealed no significant difference between intact HD and control lymphocytes. Time-dependent energy-transfer polarization studies for fluorescamine (tryptophan leads to fluorescamine) did, however, reveal a slower time decay of (formula see text) for intact HD lymphocytes as compared with controls. This time-dependent difference may relate to alterations in translational (lateral) and angular mobilities of membrane donors (tryptophan) relative to acceptors (fluorescamine) in intact HD lymphocytes. Such observations support the concept of a membrane abnormality in HD.
D000817:Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005450:Fluorescamine; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000097:blood*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008958:Models, Molecular; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013229:Stearic Acids; D013997:Time Factors
D000817:Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013229:Stearic Acids; C030310:12-(9-anthroyl)stearic acid; D005450:Fluorescamine; C027132:1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate