About
Kinetochore
Influenza Virus
Bacteriophage T4 Infection
JCVI-syn3A Minimal Cell
HIV-Infected Cell
Insulin Release
Caulobacter Polar Microdomain
HIV Vaccine
Casein Micelle and Fat Globule in Milk
RecA and DNA
Transfer RNA and Gag Protein
CytoSkeleton
Model of a Mycoplasma Cell
Cellulose Synthase
Phage-based COVID-19 Vaccine
Myoglobin in a Whale Muscle Cell
Escherichia coli Bacterium
Collagen and Extracellular Matrix
Red Blood Cell Cytoskeleton
Myelin
Immunological Synapse
Coronavirus Life Cycle
SARS-CoV-2 Fusion
SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine
Coronavirus
Respiratory Droplet
SARS-CoV-2 and Neutralizing Antibodies
Influenza Vaccine
Measles Virus Proteins
Poliovirus Neutralization
Lipid Droplets
Excitatory and Inhibitory Synapses
Abiogenesis
Last Universal Common Ancestor
Zika Virus
Insulin Action
Ebola Virus
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VegF) Signaling
Chloroplast
Autophagy
Mycoplasma mycoides
Biosites: Cytoplasm
Biosites: Blood Plasma
Biosites: Nucleus
Biosites: Red Blood Cell
Biosites: Basement Membrane
Biosites: Muscle
Blood
HIV in Blood Plasma
Escherichia coli

Molecular Landscapes by David S. Goodsell

Red Blood Cell Cytoskeleton, 2020


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Acknowledgement: Illustration by David S. Goodsell, RCSB Protein Data Bank. doi: 10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-031

A cross section through a red blood cell is shown at the bottom, with hemoglobin in red and the cell membrane in purple. A distinctive cytoskeleton forms a structural network bracing the membrane, with several large membrane-bound protein assemblies and short actin filaments, all linked by long, flexible spectrin proteins. Blood plasma is shown at the top.

Selected References

  • Lux SE (2016) Anatomy of the red cell membrane skeleton: unanswered questions. Blood 127, 187-199.
  • Burton NM & Bruce LJ (2011) Modelling the structure of the red cell membrane. Biochem. Cell Biol. 89, 200-215.
  • Nans A, Mohandas N & Stokes DL (2011) Native ultrastructure of the red cell cytoskeleton by cryo-electron tomography. Biophys. J. 101, 2341-2350.
  • Baines AJ (2010) The spectrin-ankyrin-4.1-adducin membrane skeleton: adapting eukaryotic cells to the demands of life. Protoplasma 244, 99-131.