Lateral motion of fluorescent molecules embedded into cell membranes of clonal myogenic cells, L6, changes upon cell maturation

Reduced lateral mobility of a fluorescent lipid analog in cell membranes of rat fibroblasts transformed by simian virus 40

In order to study the difference between normal and transformed cells, lateral motion of fluorescent molecules embedded into cell membranes of rat clonal fibroblasts and its SV40-transformed derivative cells was measured by the FPR technique. The lateral diffusion coefficient of a fluorescent fatty acid analog, F18, was smaller in transformed cells than normal cells. This indicates that the lipid phase of membranes from transformed cells is less fluid than that from normal cells. On the other hand, the lateral diffusion coefficient of S-F-concanavalin A was identical in both cells. These results suggest that the mobility of different molecules on the membranes is controlled by different mechanisms.