Phospholipid Composition of the Mammalian Red Cell Membrane can be Rationalized by a Superlattice Model

Although the phospholipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane has been studied extensively, it remains an enigma as to how the observed composition arises and is maintained. We show here that the phospholipid composition of the human erythrocyte membrane as a whole, as well as the composition of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1998-04, Vol.95 (9), p.4964-4969
Main Authors: Virtanen, J. A., Cheng, K. H., Somerharju, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biochemistry
Biological Sciences
Biology
Blood Platelets - ultrastructure
Cell membranes
Chemical composition
Cholesterols
Erythrocyte membrane
Erythrocyte Membrane - ultrastructure
Erythrocytes
Humans
Lipids
Mammals
Membrane Lipids - chemistry
Membranes
Modeling
Models, Biological
P branes
Phospholipids
Phospholipids - chemistry
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although the phospholipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane has been studied extensively, it remains an enigma as to how the observed composition arises and is maintained. We show here that the phospholipid composition of the human erythrocyte membrane as a whole, as well as the composition of its individual leaflets, is closely predicted by a model proposing that phospholipid head groups tend to adopt regular, superlattice-like lateral distributions. The phospholipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane from most other mammalian species, as well as of the platelet plasma membrane, also agrees closely with the predictions of the superlattice model. Statistical analyses indicate that the agreement between the observed and predicted compositions is highly significant, thus suggesting that head group superlattices may indeed play a central role in the maintenance of the phospholipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.95.9.4964