The structural basis of ankyrin function. I. Identification of two structural domains.

The structure of ankyrin, a major linking protein between spectrin and the erythrocyte membrane, was analyzed after restricted proteolytic digestion at 0 degree C. By the use of two-dimensional peptide mapping, we found that tryptic digestion of ankyrin (1 h, 0 degree C) resulted in the production of two nonoverlapping peptides of molecular weights 82,000 and 55,000. The 82,000-dalton peptide had a basic isoelectric point (7.9) and was remarkably sensitive to further proteolytic digestion; after 24 h at 0 degree C, trypsin completely digested this peptide into fragments too small to detect by gel electrophoresis. The 55,000-dalton peptide was neutral (isoelectric point = 6.9-7.2) and more resistant to further proteolytic cleavage. After a 24-h digestion with trypsin at 0 degrees C, the 55,000-dalton peptide was cleaved into two complementary fragments of molecular weight 32,000 and 15,000. Analysis of phosphorylated ankyrin indicated that the phosphates were exclusively found in these two complementary peptides. By comparison with larger fragments, we were able to align the constituent peptides of ankyrin and propose a low resolution model. Ankyrin appears to be a bipolar molecule containing a basic domain of 82,000 daltons and a neutral phosphorylated domain of 55,000 daltons.