alpha B-Crystallin in the primate ciliary muscle and trabecular meshwork

The presence of alpha B-crystallin, a protein with heat-shock protein-like properties, has been demonstrated in ciliary muscle and trabecular meshwork derived from human and monkey eyes using immunohistochemical and polymerase chain reaction methods, Both frozen sections and cultured cells have been analyzed. In the ciliary muscle, alpha B-crystallin staining is localized in the region of the dense bands, in the cytoplasm of the muscle cells and in the Schwann cells of the nerves supplying the muscle. In the trabecular meshwork, two cell types could be distinguished on the basis of alpha B-crystallin occurrence. Whereas the trabecular cells covering the lamellae were virtually devoid of the protein, the subendothelial or cribriform cells contained relatively large amounts in parallel with a higher alpha B-crystallin mRNA level.