Characterization of β-heavy Spectrin Self-interaction

Spectrin is a protein which serves to form the cytoskeletal network in cells for structural support. The protein forms tetramers consisting of two α and β subunits. This study’s objective is to investigate the possibility that β-heavy spectrin functions independently of α-spectrin to form higher order structures contrary to the classical tetramer-based structure found in erythrocytes. An in vitro western blot overlay method is utilized to observe a self-interaction of β-heavy spectrin. A self-interaction was observed, offering new insight into how spectrin may function in biological processes and generate networks.