Membrane dynamics of Friend leukaemic cells. II. Changes associated with cell differentiation.

In a previous study, using fluorescence polarization (P) with diphenyl hexatriene (DPH), it was shown that growing and resting cells have different P-values. This property has now been used to investigate the membrane action of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA), two inducers of Friend leukaemic cell (FLC) differentiation. Both an inducible cell line (FLC) and a resistant variant cell line (RFLC), had the same characteristics regarding P-values. During the differentiation process in the FLC cell line, further changes in P-values were observed. In the resistant cell line, these changes in P-value were not seen. This suggests that these inducers of differentiation are acting at the cell membrane.