Molecular cloning of the cDNA for human erythrocyte beta-spectrin

Overlapping cDNA clones, totaling 3.3 kilobases (kb) in length, which encode over 50% of the human erythrocyte beta-spectrin subunit, were isolated by antibody screening of a lambda gt11 expression library constructed from human fetal liver mRNA. The amino acid sequence of the C-terminus of beta-spectrin was derived. The size of beta-spectrin mRNA in human erythroleukemia cells was found to be 7.5 kb. Erythrocyte beta- spectrin is encoded by a gene located on human chromosome 14, as determined by cDNA hybridization to human X mouse somatic cell hybrids.