Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1986-7-24
pubmed:abstractText
The importance of cell swelling in the fusion of erythrocytes by three different chemical treatments has been investigated with cells that were cytoplasmically labelled with 6-carboxyfluorescein. Hen erythrocytes, which had been pre-incubated with ionophore A23187 and 5 mM Ca2+ to cause a proteolytic breakdown of the membrane skeleton, were induced to fuse by applying an osmotic shock. Human erythrocytes that had been incubated in an isotonic salt/buffer solution, which was progressively diluted and which contained 0.5 mM La3+ to minimise cell lysis, were also fused. In addition, the fusion of human erythrocytes by 40% poly(ethylene glycol) began only when the poly(ethylene glycol) was diluted, and it mostly occurred when the diluted polymer solution was subsequently replaced by isotonic buffer. In related experiments, the effect of an osmotic gradient on electrically induced cell fusion has been studied. Human erythrocytes in 150 mM erythritol fused more readily than less swollen cells in 200-400 mM erythritol when subjected to a 20 microseconds pulse of 3.5 kV X cm-1, indicating that the extent of cell fusion induced by the breakdown pulse is governed by the combined electrical-compressive and osmotic forces. Since osmotic phenomena are already known to be important in exocytosis, we suggest that these observations on cell fusion indicate that osmotic forces may provide the driving force for many membrane fusion reactions in biological systems.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0006-3002
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
13
pubmed:volume
858
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
206-16
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1986
pubmed:articleTitle
Osmotic forces in artificially induced cell fusion.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article