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The Non-Erythroid Membrane Skeleton And Its Role In Mechanotransduction, Eleni Kinfe Degaga

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The thesis is concerned with questions regarding cellular bio-mechanics and cell surface interactions. A particular focus is thereby on the role of the spectrin membrane skeleton in transducing forces to and from non-erythroid mammalian cells. This spectrin based membrane skeleton has been the focus of much study in the context of red blood cells, as it determines their mechanical properties due to the lack of an extended actin based cytoskeleton. In stark contrast, the corresponding structure in non-erythroids is much less studied and understood, although it seems to play important roles in organization of membrane associated proteins, cellular mechanics, adhesion, …