Description_x000D_ General description_x000D_ Crystallins are separated into two classes: taxon-specific, 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 C-terminal extensions. 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) 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. Post-translational modifications decrease the ability to chaperone. These heterogeneous aggregates consist of 30-40 subunits; the alpha-A and alpha-B subunits have a 3:1 ratio, respectively. Two additional functions of alpha crystallins are an autokinase activity and participation in the intracellular architecture. Alpha-A and alpha-B gene products are differentially expressed; alpha-A is preferentially restricted to the lens and alpha-B is expressed widely in many tissues and organs. Elevated expression of alpha-B crystallin occurs in many neurological diseases; a missense mutation cosegregated in a family with a desmin-related myopathy. (provided by RefSeq)_x000D_ Immunogen_x000D_ CRYAB (AAH07008, 1 a.a. ~ 175 a.a) full-length recombinant protein with GST tag. MW of the GST tag alone is 26 KDa._x000D_ Sequence_x000D_ MDIAIHHPWIRRPFFPFHSPSRLFDQFFGEHLLESDLFPTSTSLSPFYLRPPSFLRAPSWFDTGLPEMRLEKDRFSVNLDVKHFSPEELKVKVLGDVIEVHGKHEERQDEHGFISREFHRKYRIPADVDPLTITSSLSSDGVLTVNGPRKRVSGPERTIPITREEKPAVTAAPKK_x000D_ Physical form_x000D_ Solution in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4_x000D_ Disclaimer_x000D_ Unless otherwise stated in our catalog or other company documentation accompanying the product(s), our products are intended for research use only and are not to be used for any other purpose, which includes but is not limited to, unauthorized commercial uses, in vitro diagnostic uses, ex vivo or in vivo therapeutic uses or any type of consumption or application to humans or animals._x000D_ Legal Information_x000D_ GenBank is a registered trademark of United States Department of Health and Human Services