Studies on the lipids of sheep red blood cells. 3. The fayy acid composition of phospholipids in HK and LK cells.

Abstract

AbstractThe fatty acid composition of the erythrocyte phospholipids was studied in samples from five high potassium (HK) and five low potassium (LK) sheep. The total fatty acid composition, including the composition from the individual phospholipids in the erythrocytes of these animals is reported. There were no significant differences between either the total fatty acid composition or that of the individual phospholipids in the HK or LK cells. Sheep red cells had very little polyunsaturated fatty acids in their phospholipids. Palmitic, stearic and oleic acids were the major components of glyceryl phospholipids, while nervonic acid accounted for 50% of the fatty acids in the sphingomyelin fraction. The similarity between the fatty acid composition of HK and LK red cells indicates that quantitative differences in the lipids of the membrane are not the primary reason for the observed differences in the cation levels in the two types of cells. This agrees with conclusions drawn from previous studies.