Selective Cu2+ Binding, Redox Silencing, and Cytoprotective Effects of the Small Heat Shock Proteins αA- and αB-Crystallin

Oxidative stress and Cu(2+) have been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases and in cataract. Oxidative stress, as well as Cu(2+), is also known to induce the expression of the small heat shock proteins alpha-crystallins. However, the role of alpha-crystallins in oxidative stress and in Cu(2+)-mediated processes is not clearly understood. We demonstrate using fluorescence and isothermal titration calorimetry that alpha-crystallins …