Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Published on: September 17, 2017
Crystal structure of the repetitive segments of spectrin
1Department of Biochemistry, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Abstract:
The elongated proteins of the spectrin family (dystrophin, alpha-actinin, and spectrin) contain tandemly repeated segments and form resilient cellular meshworks by cross-linking actin filaments. The structure of one of the repetitive segments of alpha-spectrin was determined at a 1.8 angstrom resolution. A segment consists of a three-helix bundle. A model of the interface between two tandem segments suggests that hydrophobic interactions between segments may constrain intersegment flexibility. The helix side chain interactions explain how mutations that are known to produce hemolytic anemias disrupt spectrin associations that sustain the integrity of the erythrocyte membrane.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Protein Folding
Protein and Protein Structure
A protein's shape is critical to its function. For example, an enzyme can...
Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments
The Structure of Intermediate Filaments
Intermediate filaments...
Septins
The Sarcomere
Each myosin...

