Eukaryotic cells contain supportive proteins
that confer stability while allowing flexibility
(cytoskeletal proteins). The membrane skeleton
is a network of structural proteins underlying
the plasma membrane and partly associated
with it. Erythrocytes must meet extreme requirements:
about a half million times during a
4-month lifespan, they traverse small capillaries
with diameters less than that of the erythrocytes
themselves. Membrane flexibility is also
essential for muscle cell function. Thus, it is not
surprising that the cytoskeletal proteins of erythrocytes
and muscle cells are similar.
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