Spectrin is a major structural component of the red blood cell membrane skeleton and is important in erythropoiesis and membrane biogenesis. It is a flexible, rope-like molecule composed of two subunits, alpha and beta, which consist of many spectrin-type repeats. Alpha and beta spectrin associate to form heterodimers and tetramers; spectrin tetramer formation is critical for red cell shape and deformability. Defects in alpha spectrin have been associated with inherited hemolytic anemias including hereditary spherocytosis (HSp), hereditary elliptocytosis (HE), and hereditary pyropoikilocytosis (HPP). Alpha spectrin contains a middle SH3 domain and a C-terminal EF-hand binding motif in addition to multiple spectrin repeats. SH3 domains are protein interaction domains that bind to proline-rich ligands with moderate affinity and selectivity, preferentially to PxxP motifs. They play versatile and diverse roles in the cell including the regulation of enzymes, changing the subcellular localization of signaling pathway components, and mediating the formation of multiprotein complex assemblies.
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