Interchain binding at the tail end of the Drosophila spectrin molecule

Spectrin's function as an actin-crosslinking protein and membrane skeleton component involves the tail end of the molecule, where multiple interactions between two spectrin chains and between these chains and other proteins give rise to complexes that form membrane skeleton network junctions. To determine whether the sequences that contribute to interchain binding can be distinguished from sequences that are involved in other spectrin tail end functions, we mapped the regions in each Drosophila spectrin chain that are required for interchain binding in vitro. Segments 20 and 21 of the alpha chain and 2 and 3 of the beta chain are required for binding. Binding appears to be very dependent on the lateral register of segments in the two apposed chains. Domains of the nonrepetitive segments, 22 of alpha chain and 1 of beta chain, are also involved in associating the two chains. Required sequences within these nonrepetitive segments are interspersed within domains that are known to be involved in associations with other structural proteins, such as actin, and regulatory components, such as protein 4.1 and calcium.