Immunoreactive analogues of erythrocyte ankyrin in human epidermal keratinocytes.

Using immunoblot and immunofluorescence analysis, we demonstrated the presence and localization of an immunoreactive form of erythrocyte ankyrin in human epidermal keratinocytes. Immunoblot analysis revealed that both human epidermis and cultured epidermal keratinocytes contained ankyrin-like proteins of molecular mass 210 kDa that crossreacted with antihuman erythrocyte ankyrin antibodies. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the plasma membrane of epidermal keratinocytes was stained. Eccrine sweat gland cells and ductal cells were also stained. These results indicate that in human epidermal keratinocytes, eccrine sweat gland cells and ductal cells, an ankyrin-like protein is present as one of the membrane proteins. The present findings and our recent previous studies showing the presence of a spectrin-like protein (fodrin) and 4.1-like proteins in these cells enable us to suggest that a membrane skeletal protein lattice may exist in these cells.