Skip to main content
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1971 Oct 1;51(1):265–272. doi: 10.1083/jcb.51.1.265

THE LOCALIZATION OF SPECTRIN ON THE INNER SURFACE OF HUMAN RED BLOOD CELL MEMBRANES BY FERRITIN-CONJUGATED ANTIBODIES

Garth L Nicolson 1, V T Marchesi 1, S J Singer 1
PMCID: PMC2108256  PMID: 5000071

Abstract

Spectrin, a major protein constituent of mammalian red blood cell membrane preparations, has been localized on the inner surface of human red blood cell membranes by techniques that utilized specific ferritin-conjugated antibodies and fixation of membranes shortly after hemolysis so as to allow penetration of the ferritin-antibody labels. The labeling of spectrin was shown to be specific by the following criteria. (a) Nonhomologous ferritin-conjugated antibodies did not specifically bind to either membrane surface. (b) Blocking the membrane-bound spectrin with excess unconjugated antispectrin antibodies prevented ferritin-antibody labeling. (c) Removal of spectrin by treating the membrane preparation with a low ionic strength buffer containing ethylenediaminetetraacetate and β-mercaptoethanol prevented labeling by specific ferritin-conjugated antibodies.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (888.4 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Marchesi V. T., Palade G. E. The localization of Mg-Na-K-activated adenosine triphosphatase on red cell ghost membranes. J Cell Biol. 1967 Nov;35(2):385–404. doi: 10.1083/jcb.35.2.385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Marchesi V. T., Steers E., Jr Selective solubilization of a protein component of the red cell membrane. Science. 1968 Jan 12;159(3811):203–204. doi: 10.1126/science.159.3811.203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. SCHICK A. F., SINGER S. J. On the formation of covalent linkages between two protein molecules. J Biol Chem. 1961 Sep;236:2477–2485. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. SINGER S. J. Preparation of an electron-dense antibody conjugate. Nature. 1959 May 30;183(4674):1523–1524. doi: 10.1038/1831523a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Seeman P. Transient holes in the erythrocyte membrane during hypotonic hemolysis and stable holes in the membrane after lysis by saponin and lysolecithin. J Cell Biol. 1967 Jan;32(1):55–70. doi: 10.1083/jcb.32.1.55. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Tillack T. W., Marchesi S. L., Marchesi V. T., Steers E., Jr A comparative study of spectrin: a protein isolated from red blood cell membranes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1970 Jan 20;200(1):125–131. doi: 10.1016/0005-2795(70)90050-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES