CHICKEN CP49 - SIGNIFICANT OR PALTRY - AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE

The lens-specific intermediate filament (IF) proteins CP49 and filensi n have been identified in a large number of evolutionary divergent spe cies, In the chick lens both CP49 and filensin have been identified. R ecently a unique variant of CP49, CP49(ins) has been identified. CP49( ins) contains an insertion of 49 amino acids in helix Ib giving it cha racteristics similar to the lamin-like cytoplasmic IF of invertebrates . The presence of this variant form in the chick lens poses some impor tant questions about the co-assembly of the two CP49 forms and also th e evolutionary relationship with invertebrate IF proteins.