Eye Lens Crystallins

Abstract

The eye lens is crucial for proper vision via its role in refraction and focusing of light onto the retina. The lens is a unique and unusual organ - its light refraction and transparency are provided by a group of proteins, the crystallins, at high concentration that adopt short-range spatial order within the lens fiber cells. As there is no protein turnover in the fiber cells, crystallins are long-lived proteins that ideally must remain functional in solution for the lifetime of the individual. This chapter discusses the structure, function, and interactions of crystallins within the normal, aged, and cataractous lens. In particular, it outlines the mechanisms by which crystallins unfold and aggregate, along with the many modifications that they undergo with age. The chapter explores the means by which crystallins maintain their solubility despite these stresses. It provides a description of age-related lens crystallin unfolding and aggregation. Show more