Entrez Summary: 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. Gamma-crystallins are a homogeneous group of highly symmetrical, monomeric proteins typically lacking connecting peptides and terminal extensions. They are differentially regulated after early development. Four gamma-crystallin genes (gamma-A through gamma-D) and three pseudogenes (gamma-E, gamma-F, gamma-G) are tandemly organized in a genomic segment as a gene cluster. Whether due to aging or mutations in specific genes, gamma-crystallins have been involved in cataract formation. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].
UniProt Summary: Crystallins are the dominant structural components of the vertebrate eye lens.
Pfam DomainsGO Terms
Pfam Domains
Crystall
GO Terms
structural constituent of eye lens
lens fiber cell differentiation
lens development in camera-type eye
cellular response to reactive oxygen species
response to reactive oxygen species
visual perception
sensory perception of light stimulus
cellular response to oxidative stress
camera-type eye development
eye development
visual system development
sensory system development
response to oxidative stress
sensory organ development
epithelial cell differentiation
sensory perception
cellular response to oxygen-containing compound
epithelium development
nervous system process
response to oxygen-containing compound
cellular response to stress
tissue development
system process
CRISPR Data
Compound HitMost Correlated Genes in ChemogenomicsTissues where Essential in the Avana Dataset (DepMap 20Q1)