PURPOSE betaB1-crystallin is a putative target of an autoantibody observed in a subset of patients with uveitis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether seroreactivity against betaB1 or other specific purified crystallin proteins is observed in patients with uveitis and whether this reactivity is associated with either cataract or active intraocular inflammation. METHODS Sera from ...

BACKGROUND The small heat shock protein (sHSP), human alphaB crystallin, forms large, polydisperse complexes that modulate the tubulin-microtubule equilibrium using a dynamic mechanism that is poorly understood. The interactive sequences in alphaB crystallin for tubulin are surface exposed, and correspond to interactive sites for the formation of alphaB crystallin complexes. METHODOLOGY/PRINC...

Alphab-crystallin, a small heat-shock protein has been shown to prevent the aggregation of other proteins under various stress conditions. We have investigated the role of alphaB-crystallin in the reactivation of denaturant [GdmCl (guanidinium chloride)]-inactivated G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase). Studies indicate that unfolding and inactivation of G6PD by GdmCl proceeds via formation...

The b3and b8-strands and C-terminal residues 155–165 of aB-crystallin were identified by pin arrays as interaction sites for various client proteins including the intermediate filament protein desmin. Here we present data using 5 well-characterised aB-crystallin protein constructs with substituted b3and b8-strands and with the C-terminal residues 155–165 deleted to demonstrate the importance of...

Results. During ocular development, aB-crystallin transcripts are present in the lens placode at E9.5. Transcripts of aA-crystallin are first observed in the lens cup at E10 to 10.5. During subsequent development of the lens, aA crystallin transcripts are most abundant in the fiber cells, and aB crystallin mRNA is preferentially expressed in epithelial cells. Transcripts of aAcrystallin were de...

BACKGROUND The eye lens is composed of fiber cells that are filled with α-, β- and γ-crystallins. The primary function of crystallins is to maintain the clarity of the lens through ordered interactions as well as through the chaperone-like function of α-crystallin. With aging, the chaperone function of α-crystallin decreases, with the concomitant accumulation of water-insoluble, light-scatterin...

Although crystallins are major structural proteins in the lens, α-crystallins perform non-lens functions, and αB-crystallin has been shown to act as an anti-apoptotic mediator in various cells. The present study was undertaken to examine whether αB-crystallin expressed in human malignant glioma cells exerts anti-apoptotic activity. In addition, we sought to elucidate the mechanism underlying an...

Age-related cataract is a result of crystallins, the predominant lens proteins, forming light-scattering aggregates. In the low protein turnover environment of the eye lens, the crystallins are susceptible to modifications that can reduce stability, increasing the probability of unfolding and aggregation events occurring. It is hypothesized that the α-crystallin molecular chaperone system recog...

alphaB-crystallin is a member of the small heat shock protein family and can act as a molecular chaperone preventing the in vitro aggregation of other proteins denatured by heat or other stress conditions. Expression of alphaB-crystallin increases in cells exposed to stress and enhanced in tumors of neuroectodermal origin and in many neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, we examined...

PURPOSE alphaA- and alphaB-crystallins are abundantly present in the eye lens, belong to the small heat shock protein family, and exhibit molecular chaperone activity. They are also known to interact with metal ions such as Cu(2+), and their metal-binding modulates the structure and chaperone function. Unlike other point mutations in alphaA-crystallin that cause congenital cataracts, the G98R m...