CRYAA
Gene Information
- Official Symbol: CRYAA
- Official Name: crystallin alpha A
- Aliases and Previous Symbols: N/A
- Entrez ID: 1409
- UniProt: P02489
- Interactions: BioGRID
- PubMed articles: Open PubMed
- OMIM: Open OMIM
Function Summary
- Entrez Summary: Mammalian lens crystallins are divided into alpha, beta, and gamma families. 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 (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. The encoded protein has been identified as a moonlighting protein based on its ability to perform mechanistically distinct functions. 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. Defects in this gene cause autosomal dominant congenital cataract (ADCC). [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2014].
- UniProt Summary: Contributes to the transparency and refractive index of the lens. Has chaperone-like activity, preventing aggregation of various proteins under a wide range of stress conditions. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:22120592}.
CRISPR Data
Essentiality in NALM6
- Essentiality Rank: 15297
- Expression level (log2 read counts): -7.68
CRYAA Expression in NALM6 Cells: -7.68
