Spectrin (None established; usually referred to as "Spectrin". Subunit genes use abbreviations such as SPTA1, SPTAN1 (alpha), SPTB, SPTBN1, SPTBN2, SPTBN4, SPTBN5 (beta))

Spectrin is a large, elongated, heterodimeric cytoskeletal protein consisting of alpha and beta subunits, which assemble into flexible tetramers that form a mesh-like network just beneath the plasma membrane of most eukaryotic cells. This network helps preserve cell shape, maintains plasma membrane integrity, and organizes membrane proteins, notably via interaction with actin filaments, ankyrin, and adaptor proteins. In red blood cells, spectrin maintains the characteristic biconcave shape, and mutations in its genes can result in membrane instability and diseases such as hereditary spherocytosis or elliptocytosis. In neurons and muscle cells, spectrin plays a critical role in maintaining specialized membrane domains, ensuring proper localization of ion channels, and facilitating the transmission of mechanical forces across the membrane. Spectrin breakdown products are used as biomarkers of cell injury, especially in neural tissues following traumatic injury.

Other names

Alpha spectrinBeta spectrinErythrocyte spectrinSpectrin cytoskeleton

Not applicable. No drugs with established mechanism of action targeting spectrin.