The α-, β-, and γ-crystallins are the major structural proteins within the eye lens and are
responsible for its exceptional stability and transparency. Under mildly denaturing
conditions, all three types of bovine crystallin assemble into fibrillar structures in vitro.
Characterization by transmission electron microscopy, dye binding assays, and x-ray fiber
diffraction shows that these species have all of the characteristics of fibrils associated with
the family of amyloid diseases. Moreover, the full-length proteins are incorporated into the …