The lens epithelium contains glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)

Both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) intensely immunostain the lens epithelium. Two-dimensional gels of mouse lens epithelium protein extracts reveal a protein which co-migrates with GFAP from spinal cord. A lens epithelial protein of approximately 50 000 MW on one-dimensional gels is immunoreactive with antiserum to GFAP (Hatfield et al. 1984). GFAP has been regarded as a protein unique to neuroglial cells but this study indicates that some cells of ectodermal origin (the lens epithelium) express GFAP.