Alpha A Crystallin Antibodies

Target Information

Lens proteins consist almost entirely of crystallins (about 95%). Crystallins are also found vertebrate skeletal muscle tissue. In the lens, their structural function is to assist in maintaining the proper refractive index of the lens. The mammalian lens contains 3 major classes of crystallins: alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha-crystallin is the largest of the crystallins and is composed of 2 primary gene products-alpha-A and alpha-B. There are at least 5 different proteins comprising the beta-crystallins. The gamma-crystallins are monomeric, but there are at least 5 gamma crystallins identified in bovine and rat lens. Alpha-Crystallin comprises 40% of total lens protein composition. In addition to maintaining proper refractive index, it also functions in a chaperone like manner by preventing the formation of aggregates possibly leading to cataract formation. It is believed that the phosphorylated states of the alpha-crystallin occur in response to cellular stress and may serve a structural control function and play a role in protein maintenance. Alpha-B crystallin has been linked to Alexander's disease where it accumulates in brain cells of those afflicted.

Synonyms

[a]A-crystallin; Acry 1; Acry-1; alpha A crystallin; alpha crystallin A chain; alpha-A-crystallin; alpha-crystallin A chain; Alpha-crystallin A(1-151); Alpha-crystallin A(1-156); Alpha-crystallin A(1-157); Alpha-crystallin A(1-162); Alpha-crystallin A(1-163); Alpha-crystallin A(1-165); Alpha-crystallin A(1-168); Alpha-crystallin A(1-172); Alpha-crystallin A2 chain; Alpha-crystallin A2(1-162); Alpha-crystallin A2(1-168); Alpha-crystallin A2(1-172); CRYA 1; Crya1; Crya-1; CRYAA; CRYAA2; Crystallin Alpha 1; crystallin alpha A; crystallin, alpha 1; crystallin, alpha A; Crystallin, alpha polypeptide A; crystallin, alpha-1; CTRCT9; DAcry-1; Heat shock protein beta-4; HSPB 4; HSPB4; human alphaA-crystallin (CRYA1); lens opacity 18; LOC102724652; lop18; small heat shock protein; wu:fc06h04; zgc:92036