Native ultrastructure of the red cell cytoskeleton by cryo-electron tomography.

ABSTRACT: Erythrocytes possess a spectrin-based cytoskeleton that provides elasticity and mechanical stability necessary to survive the shear forces within the microvasculature. The architecture of this membrane skeleton and the nature of its intermolecular contacts determine the mechanical properties of the skeleton and confer the characteristic biconcave shape of red cells. We have used cryo-electron tomography to evaluate the three-dimensional topology in intact, unexpanded membrane skeletons from mouse erythrocytes frozen in physiological buffer. The tomograms reveal a complex network of spectrin filaments converging at actin-based nodes and a gradual decrease in both the density and the thickness of the network from the center to the edge of the cell. The average contour length of spectrin fila

SUBMITTER: Nans A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3218374 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature