title: Effect of lipid composition on rat liver nuclear membrane fluidity.
abstract: Nuclear membrane fluidity is measured in rat liver by use of the fluorescence anisotropy of two probes: diphenylhexatriene and its cationic derivative trimethylammonium-diphenylhexatriene. It has been shown that, in 2-month-old rat liver cells, the bilayer surface is less fluid than the hydrophobic core. The fluidity was higher in 6-day-old rat liver nuclei, in which both the amount of cholesterol and the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio decreased. The influence of the single phospholipids, and in particular of phosphatidylcholine, has been studied by increasing the phosphatidylcholine with a choline base exchange reaction in isolated nuclear membranes. After this reaction, the fluorescence anisotropy of the bilayer surface increased, whereas at the hydrophobic core it decreased. Analysis of fatty acid composition shows an increase of phosphatidylcholine unsaturated fatty acids. The results show that the fluidity of nuclear membranes changes in relation to the lipid content and to the fatty acid composition. The role of nuclear membrane fluidity in cell function is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Pathology, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Albi
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tomassoni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viola-Magni
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005454:Fluorescence Polarization; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008560:Membrane Fluidity / Q000502:physiology*; D009685:Nuclear Envelope / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010743:Phospholipids; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene; C033628:1-(4-(trimethylamino)phenyl)-6-phenylhexa-1,3,5-triene; D002784:Cholesterol; D002794:Choline