RELEASE OF POTASSIUM, LIPIDS, AND PROTEINS FROM NONIONIC DETERGENT-TREATED CHICKEN RED-BLOOD-CELLS

The plasma membrane of erythrocytes, as of other cells, is thought to act as the barrier responsible for maintaining intracellular gradients of most ions and small molecular species between the cell and its env ironment. Controlled application of the nonionic detergent Brij 58 eff ectively opened the erythrocyte plasma membrane, as judged by electron microscopy and lipid mobilization, but the cytoplasm maintained much of its integrity for about 30 min. Release of K+ correlated well with release of protein into the surrounding medium. The results demonstrat e that permeabilization of the erythrocyte plasma membrane does not re sult in an instantaneous equilibration of small ions, such as K+, betw een the cell and its environment. A comparison was made between erythr ocytes treated with Brij 58 and Triton X-100. The lipid and protein so lubilizing actions of Triton X-100 were not as easily separable in tim e as those of Brij 58. The results of treatment of the erythrocytes wi th different types of nonionic detergents suggest that the membranolyt ic and cytoplasmic protein destabilizing actions of nonionic detergent s correspond with their hydrophilic-lipophilic balance numbers (HLB va lues). (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.