Crystallins are the major proteins found in the lens, and the localization of specific crystallins is well known. Overexpression and accumulation of alphaB-crystallin has been observed in response to stress conditions or in certain diseases, such as brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine whether alpha-crystallins are modified during pathological myofibroblastic changes in lens epithelial cells. Lens epithelial cells attached to the anterior capsules of patients with nuclear or anterior polar cataracts were analyzed quantitatively for alpha-crystallin proteins and mRNAs using Western blot and RT-PCR analysis., respectively. The degree of modification of alpha-crystallins was determined by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by Western blotting. Higher molecular weight protein bands that were immunoreactive to anti-alphaA- and anti-alphaB-crystallin antibodies around 45 kDa accumulated more in the anterior polar cataract samples than in those with the nuclear type of cataracts. Also monomeric alphaB-crystallins accumulated more in lens epithelial cells of patients with anterior polar cataracts. By comparison, no significant changes were found in the levels of the mRNAs encoding alphaA- and alphaB-crystallins in the different types of cataracts. Both alphaA- and alphaB-crystallin proteins seemed to undergo more extensive modification in anterior polar cataracts. Conclusion. In addition to fibrotic changes, which accompany increased levels of extracellular matrix molecules, accumulation and abnormal modification of alpha-crystallins might be implicated in the pathogenic mechanism of this type of cataract.
Adult ; Cataract/*genetics/metabolism ; Epithelial Cells/metabolism ; Female ; Human ; Lens, Crystalline/metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger/analysis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; alpha-Crystallin A Chain/*genetics/metabolism ; alpha-Crystallin B Chain/*genetics/metabolism

alphaB-crystallin is the structural protein of vertebrate lens, which is widely expressed in non-lens tissue. As one of the heat shock protein family members, alphaB-crystallin possesses biological properties of molecular chaperones and anti-apoptotic effects. Multi-factor injuries, such as retinopathy, inflammation and nervous system diseases, have a closely relationship with alphaB-crystallin. This paper reviews the research progress of the expression and mechanism of alphaB-crystallin in retina and extraocular tissues and organs.
Crystallins ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism* ; Humans ; Lens, Crystalline ; Retina ; alpha-Crystallin B Chain/metabolism*

alphaB-crystallin is a member of the sHSP (Small heat shock protein) family, which plays an impor tant role in multiple neurodegeneration diseases. To give insight into the possible alternation and the role of aB-crystallin in prion disease, the alphaB-crystallin levels in the brain tissues of agent 263K-infected hamsters were evaluated. Western blots and IHC revealed that at the terminal stages of the diseases, the levels of alphaB-crystallin were increased up to 3-fold in the brain tissues of scrapie infected 263K hamsters compared with normal controls. Immunofluorescent assays revealed that the up-regulated alphaB-crystallin was mainly observed in astrocytes, but not in neurons. The co-localization between alphaB-crystallin and abnormal deposition of PrPsc in the brain tissues of the scrapie infected hamsters was not observed. The study may provide a foundation for further revealing the potential role of alphaB-crystallin in prion disease.
Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cricetinae ; Humans ; PrPSc Proteins ; metabolism ; Prion Diseases ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Up-Regulation ; alpha-Crystallin B Chain ; genetics ; metabolism

<b>AIMb>Try to clarify the effects of HSF1 gene on the constitutively expressed alphaBC.

<b>METHODSb>To investigate the levels of constitutively expressed alphaB-Crystallin (alphaBC) in hsf1 knockout (hsf1 -/-) and hsf1 wild type (hsf1 +/+) mice myocardium by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

<b>RESULTSb>The alphaBC levels in hsf1 -/- and hsf1 +/+ were 68.42% +/- 4.16%, 100% +/- 7.58%, respectively (P < 0.05, cytosolic fraction), and 20.53% +/- 1.01%, 37.55% +/- 1.91%, respectively (P < 0.05, pellet fraction). The alphaBC signals decreased significantly in hsf1 -/- myocardium compared with hsf1 +/+ myocardium stained with fluorescence immunohistochemistry.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>hsf1 is the important, but not the only factor, which mediates the constitutively expressed alphaBC.

Animals ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Heat Shock Transcription Factors ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Transcription Factors ; genetics ; alpha-Crystallin B Chain ; genetics ; metabolism

This study describes the expression of heat shock protein70 (HSP70) and alpha-basic-crystallin (alpha-BC) and their association with apoptosis and some related adaptor proteins in the pathogenesis of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV)-induced myocarditis in lambs. HSP70 was generally overexpressed in the myocardial tissues and inflammatory cells of FMDV-induced myocarditis with differential accumulation and localization in same hearts when compared to non-foot-and-mouth disease control hearts. alpha-BC immunolabeling showed coarse aggregations in the Z line of the cardiomyocytes in FMDV-infected hearts in contrast to control hearts. Overall, the results of this study show that the anti-apoptotic proteins, HSP70 and alpha-BC, were overexpressed with increased apoptosis in FMDV-infected heart tissues. Both proteins failed to protect the cardiomyocytes from apoptosis as defense mechanisms to the FMDV during the infection, suggesting that the virus is able to increase apoptosis via both downregulation and/or upregulation of these anti-apoptotic proteins.
Animals ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/metabolism ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease/*complications/*virology ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus/*classification ; Gene Expression ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/*metabolism ; Myocarditis/complications/pathology/*veterinary/virology ; Myocardium/pathology ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases/*virology ; Turkey ; alpha-Crystallin B Chain/*metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To establish 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) image for the early lung injury rats induced by silica dioxide and to identify differentially expressed protein biomarkers during the early stage of silicosis.
 METHODS: The animal models of silicosis were established and morphology changes were observed by HE staining, and then the key protein biomarkers in silicosis were identified by 2-DE and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and verified by Western blot.
 RESULTS: The well qualified 2-DE gel images for experimental and control lung tissues were successfully established, and 40 different protein spots was observed when comparing the gel images between the experimental and control groups. Twenty of them were analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS. A total of 13 altered proteins were identified, including alpha B-crystallin, mast cell protease 6, annexin 1, etc. The expression of alpha B-crystallin in lung was further verified by Western blot.
 CONCLUSION The protein expression of alpha B-crystallin was increased significantly, suggesting that it might play an important role in the progress of silicosis.
Animals ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Disease Models, Animal ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Proteomics ; Rats ; Silicon Dioxide ; adverse effects ; Silicosis ; diagnosis ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; alpha-Crystallin B Chain ; metabolism