Lens protein phylogeny: immunocrossreactivity of vertebrate lens antigens to anti-shark crystallin antibody.

Antisera prepared against total water-soluble lens proteins of the shark, Scoliodon sorrakowah were reacted with homologous antigen and analysed reaction products by immunoelectrophoresis (IE) and two dimensional crossed antigen-antibody electrophoresis (2D-CE). On IE, shark antigens formed 5 precipitin lines including 1 alpha, 3 beta and 1 gamma crystallins and on 2D-CE 3 alpha, 6 beta and 6 gamma peaks accounting for 8%, 27% and 65% antigen in the respective group were obtained from the total crystallins. Using anti-shark antisera, the immunocrossreactivity of lens proteins from 6 Chondropterygii, 23 teleosts and 16 higher vertebrates was examined by IE. It is found that beta crystallins are the most conserved and crossreact with all vertebrate classes, whereas gamma crystallin crossreactivity is specific to the class Pisces and alpha crystallins are least conserved and their crossreactivity is confined to subclass Chondropterygii. Based on IE patterns, a phylogenetic tree is constructed which demonstrates the intrafamily closeness except in case of adaptive radiation.