Stabilizing factors of phospholipid asymmetry in the erythrocyte membrane

Transbilayer reorientation (flip) of exogenous lysophospholipids and changes of the transbilayer distribution of endogenous phospholipids were studied in human erythrocytes and membrane vesicles. (1) Exogenous lysophosphatidylserine irreversibly accumulates in the inner membrane layer of resealed ghosts of human erythrocytes. (2) This accumulation even occurs after complete loss of asymmetric distribution of endogenous phosphatidylethanolamine and partial loss of phosphatidylserine asymmetry in diamide-treated cells. (3) Formation of inside-out and right-side-out vesicles from erythrocyte membranes results in a loss of endogenous phospholipid asymmetry as well as of the ability to establish asymmetry of exogenous lysophosphatidylserine. Rates of transbilayer reorientation of lysophospholipids for the vesicles, however, are comparable to those for intact cells. (4) Loss of endogenous asymmetry of phosphatidylserine is also observed in vesicles isolated from erythrocytes after heat denaturation of spectrin. The asymmetry in the residual cells is maintained. (5) In contrast to the loss of asymmetry of phosphatidylethanolamine and of phosphatidylserine, the asymmetry of sphingomyelin is completely maintained in the vesicles. (6) The stability of phospholipid asymmetry in the native cell is discussed in terms of a limitation of access of phospholipids to hypothetical reorientation sites. Such a limitation may either be the result of interaction of phospholipids with the membrane skeleton as in case of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine, or the result of lipid-lipid interactions as in case of sphingomyelin.