Zebrafish alpha-crystallins: protein structure and chaperone-like activity compared to their mammalian orthologs.

Abstract

alphaA-crystallin serves a similar physiological function in both zebrafish and mammals as a lens specific chaperone-like molecule. The reduced chaperone-like function of zebrafish alphaB-crystallin and its lack of extralenticular expression indicates that it plays a different physiological role from its mammalian ortholog. Future comparative studies of alpha-crystallin from closely related vertebrate species can help identify specific structural changes that lead to alterations in chaperone-like activity.