Hereditary stomatocytosis: consistent association with an integral membrane protein deficiency.

We studied the RBC membrane proteins of four patients, including a mother and daughter, with hereditary stomatocytosis. One- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that a 28 kDa integral protein, present in normal RBC membranes, was absent in all four patients. This abnormality, reported once previously (Lande et al, 1982), appears to be a characteristic feature of hereditary stomatocytosis, and may be related to the underlying permeability defect in this disorder.