Recent advances in the understanding of the erythrocyte membrane

Recent discoveries have allowed a considerable insight into the nature of the erythrocyte membrane in health and disease. The component proteins of the erythrocyte membrane and its underlying membrane skeleton have been isolated, studied and the various genes have been assigned to particular chromosomes. Many defects in these proteins have been characterized and correlations between these defects and the resultant clinical states have been hypothesized. We briefly review these recent findings, and some of the more common abnormalities in the erythrocyte membrane that are of significance to the practising pediatrician.