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General description of the gene and the encoded protein(s) using information from HGNC and Ensembl, as well as predictions made by the Human Protein Atlas project.
Gene namei
Official gene symbol, which is typically a short form of the gene name, according to HGNC.
Assigned HPA protein class(es) for the encoded protein(s).
Disease related genes Human disease related genes Plasma proteins Potential drug targets Transporters
Predicted locationi
All transcripts of all genes have been analyzed regarding the location(s) of corresponding protein based on prediction methods for signal peptides and transmembrane regions.
Genes with at least one transcript predicted to encode a secreted protein, according to prediction methods or to UniProt location data, have been further annotated and classified with the aim to determine if the corresponding protein(s) are secreted or actually retained in intracellular locations or membrane-attached.
Remaining genes, with no transcript predicted to encode a secreted protein, will be assigned the prediction-based location(s).
The annotated location overrules the predicted location, so that a gene encoding a predicted secreted protein that has been annotated as intracellular will have intracellular as the final location.
Gene information from Ensembl and Entrez, as well as links to available gene identifiers are displayed here. Information was retrieved from Ensembl if not indicated otherwise.
Chromosome
21
Cytoband
q22.3
Chromosome location (bp)
43169008 - 43172805
Number of transcriptsi
Number of protein-coding transcripts from the gene as defined by Ensembl.
Useful information about the protein provided by UniProt.
Contributes to the transparency and refractive index of the lens 1. In its oxidized form (absence of intramolecular disulfide bond), acts as a chaperone, preventing aggregation of various proteins under a wide range of stress conditions 2,3,4,5. Required for the correct formation of lens intermediate filaments as part of a complex composed of BFSP1, BFSP2 and CRYAA 6....show less
Molecular function (UniProt)i
Keywords assigned by UniProt to proteins due to their particular molecular function.
Chaperone, Eye lens protein
Biological process (UniProt)i
Keywords assigned by UniProt to proteins because they are involved in a particular biological process.
Sensory transduction, Vision
Ligand (UniProt)i
Keywords assigned by UniProt to proteins because they bind, are associated with, or whose activity is dependent of some molecule.
Metal-binding, Zinc
Gene summary (Entrez)i
Useful information about the gene from Entrez
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]...show less
PROTEIN INFORMATIONi
The protein information section displays alternative protein-coding transcripts (splice variants) encoded by this gene according to the Ensembl database.
The ENSP identifier links to the Ensembl website protein summary, while the ENST identifier links to the Ensembl website transcript summary for the selected splice variant. The data in the UniProt column can be expanded to show links to all matching UniProt identifiers for this protein.
The protein classes assigned to this protein are shown if expanding the data in the protein class column. Parent protein classes are in bold font and subclasses are listed under the parent class.
The Gene Ontology terms assigned to this protein are listed if expanding the Gene ontology column. The length of the protein (amino acid residues according to Ensembl), molecular mass (kDalton), predicted signal peptide (according to a majority of the signal peptide predictors SPOCTOPUS, SignalP 4.0, and Phobius) and the number of predicted transmembrane region(s) (according to MDM) are also reported.
Transporters Accessory Factors Involved in Transport Predicted intracellular proteins Intracellular proteins predicted by MDM and MDSEC Plasma proteins Disease related genes Potential drug targets Human disease related genes Nervous system diseases Eye disease Mapped to neXtProt neXtProt - Evidence at protein level Protein evidence (Kim et al 2014) Protein evidence (Ezkurdia et al 2014)
A0A8C8KJZ9 [Direct mapping] Alpha-crystallin A chain
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Predicted intracellular proteins Intracellular proteins predicted by MDM and MDSEC Human disease related genes Nervous system diseases Eye disease Protein evidence (Ezkurdia et al 2014)
Phobius predicted secreted proteins Predicted intracellular proteins Intracellular proteins predicted by MDM and MDSEC Human disease related genes Nervous system diseases Eye disease Protein evidence (Ezkurdia et al 2014)
The Human Protein Atlas project is funded
