Immunological characterization of calf lens gamma-crystallins, separated by preparative isoelectric focusing.

Calf gamma-crystallins were separated by preparative flat-bed isoelectric focusing and characterized according to their immunological properties, molecular weights and isoelectric points. Immunologically 4 different groups of gamma-crystallins (gamma 1a-1d-crystallin) could be detected. The main immunological component, the gamma 1b-crystallin corresponds to two polypeptides with molecular weights of 20,500 and 22,000. The two minor components, the gamma 1c- and gamma 1d-crystallin, are immunologically partial identical with the main component gamma 1b-crystallin. One of these minor components, the gamma 1d-crystallin, has a MW of 29,000. The 4th antigen (gamma 1a-crystallin), which has a MW of 21,000, seems to have only remote relationship with the major gamma-crystallin component.