Effects of free fatty acids on the organization of cytoskeletal elements in lymphocytes

Treatment of mouse lymphocytes with cis-unsaturated free fatty acids produced alterations in the immunofluorescence patterns of the cytoskeleton and contractile proteins. Saturated free fatty acids and trans-unsaturated free fatty acids had no effect. In untreated cells, the microtubular pattern exhibited radiation from an organizing center, resembling the spokes of an umbrella. The addition of linoleic acid produced a polarized submembranous aggregate. Under control conditions, staining for actin revealed a diffuse pattern over the entire cell, but the addition of linoleic acid caused the formation of a single large patch, or polarized submembranous aggregate. The pattern for alpha-actinin normally revealed intense perinuclear staining on a diffuse background. Linoleic acid caused the loss of this pattern and the formation of a polarized submembranous aggregate. Linoleic acid treatment also caused the pattern for myosin to change from diffuse to uniform submembranous patching around the periphery of the cell. For all of these proteins, calcium (8 mM), but not magnesium, partially reversed the effects of linoleic acid. Sodium azide had little effect on the normal distribution of actin, tubulin, and alpha-actinin; however, myosin staining revealed prominent patch formation. Colchicine treatment caused diffuse staining, some polarized submembranous aggregate formation of tubulin, and some patching of myosin, but not as extensively as did treatment with linoleic acid. Actin and alpha-actinin were unaffected. These results, in view of the previously shown facts that pretreatment of cells with linoleic acid followed by anti-immunoglobulin inhibits capping of surface immunoglobulin (Klausner, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77:437-441, 1980) and that free fatty acids partition into the surface membrane (Klausner et al., J. Biol. Chem. 255:1286-1295, 1980), suggest that the perturbation of the plasma membrane with unsaturated free fatty acids alters the interaction of surface receptors with the cytoskeleton, which in turn affects cytoplasmic distribution of the proteins.