Dematin and adducin provide a novel link between the spectrin cytoskeleton and human erythrocyte membrane by directly interacting with glucose transporter-1.

Dematin and adducin are actin-binding proteins located at the spectrin-actin junctions, also called the junctional complex, in the erythrocyte membrane. Here we propose a new model whereby dematin and adducin link the junctional complex to human erythrocyte plasma membrane. Using a combination of surface labeling, immunoprecipitation, and vesicle proteomics approaches, we have identified glucose transporter-1 as the receptor for dematin and adducin in the human erythrocyte membrane. This finding is the first description of a transmembrane protein that binds to dematin and adducin, thus providing a rationale for the attachment of the junctional complex to the lipid bilayer. Because homologues of dematin, adducin, and glucose transporter-1 exist in many non-erythroid cells, we propose that a conserved mechanism may exist that couples sugar and other related transporters to the actin cytoskeleton.