alpha B Crystallin (Ser59) Antibody

alpha B Crystallin phospho S59; alpha B Crystallin phospho Ser59; p-alpha B Crystallin S59; p-alpha B Crystallin Ser59; AACRYA; Alpha B crystallin; Alpha crystallin B chain; Alpha crystallin B chain; AlphaB crystallin; AlphaB-crystallin; Alpha-crystallin B chain; CRYA2; CRYAB; CRYAB_HUMAN; Crystallin alpha B; Crystallin alpha polypeptide 2; CTPP 2; CTPP2; Heat shock 20 kD like protein; Heat shock protein beta 5; Heat shock protein beta-5; HSPB5; NY REN 27 antigen; Renal carcinoma antigen NY REN 27; Renal carcinoma antigen NY-REN-27; Rosenthal fiber component.

Crystallins are separated into two classes: taxonspecific, or enzyme, and ubiquitous. The latter class constitutes the major proteins of vertebrate eye lens and maintains the transparency and refractive index of the lens. Since lens central fiber cells lose their nuclei during development, these crystallins are made and then retained throughout life, making them extremely stable proteins. Mammalian lens crystallins are divided into alpha, beta, and gamma families; beta and gamma crystallins are also considered as a superfamily. Alpha and beta families are further divided into acidic and basic groups. Seven protein regions exist in crystallins: four homologous motifs, a connecting peptide, and N and Cterminal extensions. Alpha crystallins are composed of two gene products: alphaA and alphaB, for acidic and basic, respectively. Alpha crystallins can be induced by heat shock and are members of the small heat shock protein (sHSP also known as the HSP20) family. They act as molecular chaperones although they do not renature proteins and release them in the fashion of a true chaperone; instead they hold them in large soluble aggregates. Posttranslational modifications decrease the ability to chaperone. These heterogeneous aggregates consist of 3040 subunits; the alphaA and alphaB subunits have a 3:1 ratio, respectively. Two additional functions of alpha crystallins are an autokinase activity and participation in the intracellular architecture. AlphaA and alphaB gene products are differentially expressed; alphaA is preferentially restricted to the lens and alphaB is expressed widely in many tissues and organs. Elevated expression of alphaB crystallin occurs in many neurological diseases; a missense mutation cosegregated in a family with a desminrelated myopathy. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].