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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Preparation and Immunofluorescence Staining of Bundles and Single Fiber Cells from the Cortex and Nucleus of the Eye Lens
Published on: June 9, 2023
The beaded filament of the eye lens: an unexpected key to intermediate filament structure and function
R A Quinlan1, J M Carte, A Sandilands
1Dept of Biochemistry, Medical Sciences Institute, The University of Dundee, Dundee, UK DD1 4HN.
Abstract:
In 1959, an unusual filamentous polymer, now called the beaded filament, was described in the lens of the eye. The constituent proteins, assembly properties and functions of the beaded filament have been elusive. The recent publication of the sequences for two major lens filament proteins (CP49 and filensin) and the reconstitution in vitro of structures closely resembling beaded filaments, suggests that the beaded filament is related structurally to intermediate filaments (IFs). The association of the lenticular chaperones, the alpha-crystallins, with the filament contributes to the characteristic beaded morphology, as well as giving important clues to the function of this unusual filament in the lens. These recent results have several implications for IF function and assembly.
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