Gene:
beaded filament structural protein 1, filensin
Description:
More than 99% of the vertebrate ocular lens is comprised of terminally differentiated lens fiber cells. Two lens-specific intermediate filament-like proteins, CP49 (also known as phakinin) and the protein product of this gene, filensin (or CP115), are expressed only after fiber cell differentiation has begun. Both proteins are found in a structurally unique cytoskeletal element that is referred to as the beaded filament (BF).