Methyl-β-cyclodextrin Treatment Affects the Thermotropic Behaviour of Membranes and Detergent-Resistant Membrane Fractions of Cultured A431 Cells

Massimo Masserini; Marina Pitto; Francesca Raimondo; Emanuela Cazzaniga; Silvia Sesana; Tiziana Bellini

doi:10.1248/bpb.28.2185

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Methyl-β-cyclodextrin Treatment Affects the Thermotropic Behaviour of Membranes and Detergent-Resistant Membrane Fractions of Cultured A431 Cells

Massimo Masserini, Marina Pitto, Francesca Raimondo, Emanuela Cazzaniga, Silvia Sesana, Tiziana Bellini

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Keywords: lipid phase transition, cell membrane, lipid composition, methyl-β-cyclodextrin

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2005 Volume 28 Issue 12 Pages 2185-2188

DOI https://doi.org/10.1248/bpb.28.2185

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Abstract

Membranes and detergent-resistant membrane fractions isolated from human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells after treatment with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, a compound commonly used in pharmaceutical applications and in manipulation of membrane cholesterol content, display thermotropic transitions at about 15 °C and above 37 °C, respectively, when analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry. The transitions, absent in untreated cells, were reversible upon cycling through heating and cooling scans, and attributable to lipid components of the membranes, possibly sphingolipids. These results suggest that, after treatment with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, membranes may show thermotropic transitions, an unusual feature for cellular bilayers, which is likely to influence biological functions.

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