Metabolic and Biophysical Parameters Affecting the Lymphocyte Plasma Membrane: A Whole Cell Study

In this dissertation I utilized three lipophilic fluorescent probes: merocyanine 540, trimethylammonium-diphenylhexatriene, and diphenylhexatriene-proprionic acid. These probes have been used to study phospholipid membrane vesicles. Vesicles act as a model system for the exceedingly more complex membranes of whole cell. The major objective of my studies was to compare the ability of these probes to indicate similar, membrane structural characteristics in the plasma membrane of whole lymphocytes