The spectrin cytoskeleton assembles within discrete regions of the plasma membrane in a
wide range of animal cell types. Although recent studies carried out in vertebrate systems
indicate that spectrin assembly occurs indirectly through the adapter protein ankyrin, recent
studies in Drosophila have established that spectrin can also assemble through a direct
ankyrin-independent mechanism. Here we tested specific regions of the spectrin molecule
for a role in polarized assembly and function. First, we tested mutant β-spectrins lacking …