Lens Antigens in the Intraocular Tissues of the Human Eye

Introduction In 1959, Langman and Prescott1were able to demonstrate by means of immunological techniques2,3that the iris, retina, and cornea of the adult chick contain a number of antigenic components identical to those of the lens. These observations were later confirmed by Maisel and Langman,4,5who subsequently succeeded in showing that some of the iris and retina antigens were identical to α-, β-, and γ-crystallin, the three main soluble proteins of the lens. Recently, Maisel and Harmison6,7found that one of the iris proteins is not only antigenically identical to α-crystallin of the lens but also has an electrophoretic mobility and sedimentation coefficient of approximately the same value. Further proof for the presence of lens antigens in the intraocular tissues was found when chick embryos (approximately 32 hours—lens induction stage) were treated with antibodies prepared against isolated αcrystallin.8,9The degeneration and abnormalities of the