RED-CELL-membrane architecture has been extensively studied in recent years. 1'2 When
the cells are hypotonically lysed and washed free of hemoglobin, the resulting membrane
ghosts consist of the lipid bilayer and associated proteins. When ghosts are extracted with
non-ionic detergents, lipid and integral membrane proteins are removed, leaving a
cytoskeleton3 that is thought to be responsible for the shape, strength, and reversible
deformability of the cell. The cytoskeleton consists of an assembly of polypeptides: spectrin …