McGough A M, Josephs R
Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, IL 60637.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Jul;87(13):5208-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.13.5208.
Spectrin is generally believed to play an important role in the erythrocyte membrane's ability to deform elastically. We have studied the structure of negatively stained spectrin in partially expanded membrane skeletons to determine how its molecular structure confers elastic properties on the cell membrane. Fourier analysis of electron micrographs of spectrin reveals that the alpha and beta subunits are twisted about a common axis, forming a two-start helix with twofold rotational symmetry. We propose that elastic deformation of the cell is mediated by transient extension of the helix by mechanical forces.
一般认为血影蛋白在红细胞膜弹性变形能力方面发挥着重要作用。我们研究了部分膨胀的膜骨架中经负染色的血影蛋白的结构，以确定其分子结构如何赋予细胞膜弹性特性。对血影蛋白电子显微照片的傅里叶分析表明，α亚基和β亚基围绕一个共同轴扭曲，形成具有双重旋转对称性的双股螺旋。我们提出细胞的弹性变形是由机械力使螺旋短暂伸展介导的。
