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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.
![Western Blot AlphaA Crystallin/CRYAA Antibody [Unconjugated]](http://images.novusbio.com/fullsize/antibody/AlphaA_Crystallin_AF4848_Western_Blot_5569.jpg)
![Simple Western AlphaA Crystallin/CRYAA Antibody [Unconjugated]](http://images.novusbio.com/fullsize/antibody/AlphaA_Crystallin_AF4848_Simple_Western_16945.jpg)
