title: Normal content of brain spectrin-like protein in sph/sph mice.
abstract: In the erythrocytes of WBB6F1-sph/sph mice spectrin constitutes only approximately 1% of the total sph/sph membrane protein compared to approximately 23% in WBB6F1-+/+ controls. No increase in proteolytic degradation of spectrin in sph/sph erythrocyte membranes could be detected with antibodies directed against mouse erythrocyte spectrin or mouse brain spectrin-like protein. As attachment of normal spectrin to the erythrocyte membrane of these animals appeared to be normal, and as spectrin is not detected when whole sph/sph erythrocytes are solubilized in SDS for SDS PAGE, the deficient erythrocyte spectrin was probably due to diminished production. Brain spectrin-like protein, a nonerythroid spectrin analogue, is antigenically, morphologically and functionally related to erythrocyte spectrin, but appears by peptide mapping analysis to be a distinct gene product. It was found by protein- and antibody-staining of brain membranes to be present in normal concentrations in sph/sph animals. Indirect immunofluorescence of mouse brain tissue with anti-brain spectrin-like protein IgG or anti-erythrocyte spectrin IgG indicated that the distribution of brain spectrin-like protein was normal in sph/sph brain. Therefore the mutation causing diminished production of sph/sph erythrocyte spectrin does not affect the expression of this nonerythroid spectrin analogue.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000032:analysis; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D013049:Spectrin / Q000032:analysis; D013102:Spherocytes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C041393:spectrin-like proteins; D013049:Spectrin