Description
Alpha crystallins are composed of two gene products ; alpha-A and alpha-B, 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). They act as molecular chaperones and hold them in in large soluble aggregates. These heterogeneous aggregates consist of 30-40 subunits; the alpha-A and alpha-B subunits have a 3:1 ratio, respectively. Two additional function of alpha-crystallins are an autokinase activity and participation in the intracellular architecture. Alpha-B is expressed widely in many tissues and organs and occurs in many neurological diseases