Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Sequential Extraction of Soluble and Insoluble Alpha-Synuclein from Parkinsonian Brains
Published on: January 5, 2016
Alpha B-crystallin is expressed in non-lenticular tissues and accumulates in Alexander's disease brain
T Iwaki1, A Kume-Iwaki, R K Liem
1Department of Pathology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10032.
Abstract:
Rosenthal fibers (RFs) are abnormal inclusions within astrocytes, characteristic of Alexander's disease. We have previously isolated a 22 kd protein component of RFs from Alexander's disease brain. By Western blotting, we detected its equivalent in several rat organs, with the highest level in heart, and in a human astrocytoma cell line (U-373MG). A cDNA library established from U-373MG was screened with an anti-RF protein antibody. A partial cDNA clone encoding the lens protein alpha B-crystallin was isolated. The anti-RF protein antibodies react with lens alpha B-crystallin. Furthermore, the distribution of alpha B-crystallin mRNA in rat organs is consistent with the Western blots. Therefore, alpha B-crystallin is not lens-specific and it can accumulate in large amounts in astrocytes in pathological conditions.
More Related Videos
09:31Visualization of Amyloid β Deposits in the Human Brain with Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry
Published on: March 7, 2019
06:02Experimental Approaches for Biochemical Analysis of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Its Disease-associated Variants
Published on: November 28, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Type IV Collagen of Basal Lamina
A type IV collagen molecule has six alpha chains which can exist in...
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology