Spectrin is a cytoskeletal protein that lines the intracellular side of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells. (Source Wiki.)
Spectrin
Spectrin is a cytoskeletal protein that plays a role in maintaining the structure and stability of cell membranes. It is commonly found in red blood cells, where it helps give the cells their characteristic biconcave shape and flexibility. Spectrin is also found in other types of cells, where it functions in cell shape, movement, and stability.
Spectrin is a fibrous protein that helps give shape to the red blood cell plasma membrane. It plays a critical role in maintaining the flexibility and stability of the membrane, allowing red blood cells to deform as needed to pass through narrow capillaries.
John H. Hartwig has written: 'Actin-binding proteins 1: spectrin superfamily'
An ankyrin is any of a family of adaptor proteins which mediate the attachment of integral membrane proteins to the spectrin-actin based membrane skeleton.
It is a phase in the production of erythrocytes where hemoglobin and spectrin are beginning to be produced by the ribosomes of the hemocytoblast stem cells in red bone marrow.
The red blood cell's biconcave shape is primarily maintained by the flexible plasma membrane. The cytoskeleton, particularly the protein spectrin, plays a key role in supporting and stabilizing this unique shape under changing conditions.
Water passively moves from an area of high water concentration (the dilute water) to low water conc. (in cell) (i.e. down the water potential). This causes the cell to swell up and its contents to dilute. It eventually stops swelling when the water potential reaches zero i.e. when the tonicity of the environment = the tonicity inside the cell. If its membrane can't cope with the swelling it may eventually burst.
The flexibility of the red blood cell membrane is due to its high content of cholesterol and special proteins called spectrin and actin. These components help maintain the structure and flexibility of the membrane, allowing the cell to change shape as it moves through blood vessels.
The shape of erythrocytes, or red blood cells, is determined by their biconcave disc shape. This shape allows for a larger surface area for oxygen exchange. The cytoskeletal proteins, specifically spectrin and actin, play a key role in maintaining the shape and flexibility of erythrocytes.
According to SOWPODS (the combination of Scrabble dictionaries used around the world) there are 1 words with the pattern S---TRI-. That is, eight letter words with 1st letter S and 5th letter T and 6th letter R and 7th letter I. In alphabetical order, they are: spectrin
Cholesterol molecules embedded in the lipid bilayer help maintain the fluidity and flexibility of cell membranes by stabilizing them at different temperatures. Additionally, unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipid molecules can prevent tight packing of the lipids and enhance membrane flexibility. Proteins such as integrins and spectrin can also play a role in maintaining membrane flexibility by allowing for movement and deformation of the membrane.