ABSTRACT
The red blood cell cytoskeleton, a lattice of extrinsic proteins on the cell membrane’s inner surface, endows the mature erythrocyte with its unique shape. It also provides resilience and durability while allowing remarkable deformability. Spectrin is the most abundant protein in the membrane skeleton, comprising ~75% of its mass [1]. Its singular molecular properties and interactions with other cytoskeleton proteins are vital to the function and in vivo survival of the erythrocyte.
