Structural highlights
FunctionAQP1_HUMAN Forms a water-specific channel that provides the plasma membranes of red cells and kidney proximal tubules with high permeability to water, thereby permitting water to move in the direction of an osmotic gradient.[1] Publication Abstract from PubMedThe stability and shape of the erythrocyte membrane is provided by the ankyrin-1 complex, but how it tethers the spectrin-actin cytoskeleton to the lipid bilayer and the nature of its association with the band 3 anion exchanger and the Rhesus glycoproteins remains unknown. Here we present structures of ankyrin-1 complexes purified from human erythrocytes. We reveal the architecture of a core complex of ankyrin-1, the Rhesus proteins RhAG and RhCE, the band 3 anion exchanger, protein 4.2, glycophorin A and glycophorin B. The distinct T-shaped conformation of membrane-bound ankyrin-1 facilitates recognition of RhCE and, unexpectedly, the water channel aquaporin-1. Together, our results uncover the molecular details of ankyrin-1 association with the erythrocyte membrane, and illustrate the mechanism of ankyrin-mediated membrane protein clustering. Architecture of the human erythrocyte ankyrin-1 complex.,Vallese F, Kim K, Yen LY, Johnston JD, Noble AJ, Cali T, Clarke OB Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2022 Jul;29(7):706-718. doi: 10.1038/s41594-022-00792-w. , Epub 2022 Jul 14. PMID:35835865[2] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferences
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