Do we already know how spectrin attracts ankyrin?

ABSTRACT

The interaction of ankyrin and spectrin yields the major anchor between the membrane skeleton and the lipid bilayer. It is critical for red cell deformability and stability, and it is also involved in the cellular localization of several proteins, in cell differentiation, and in neuron activity. Therefore, its nature is of great interest, and recently, several researchers have had varying degrees of success in elucidating the structural basis of ankyrin-spectrin recognition. In this short paper, we briefly summarize the data obtained and compare the resulting conclusions.