hsp-16.41 encodes a 16-kD heat shock protein (HSP) that is a member of the hsp16/hsp20/alphaB-crystallin (HSP16) family of heat shock proteins; an hsp-16.41 reporter fusion, expressed broadly but strongest in intestine and pharynx, is induced in response to heat shock or other environmental stresses; expression is detectable in somatic tissues in post-gastrulation embryos, all larval stages, and in adults; HSP-16.41 is likely to function as a passive ligand temporarily preventing unfolded proteins from aggregating.
Predicted to enable unfolded protein binding activity. Involved in defense response to Gram-negative bacterium and response to heat. Predicted to be located in cytoplasm and nucleus. Expressed in several structures, including alimentary muscle; coelomocyte; intestine; neurons; and ventral nerve cord. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in cataract 9 multiple types. Is an ortholog of human CRYAA (crystallin alpha A).
Inferred by orthology to human genes with DO annotation (HGNC:2388)
Disease_relevance
C. elegans is an effective model system to study heat-related pathologies like heat stroke; in elegans, the heat-shock transcription factor, after activation, induces the expression of other small heat shock proteins (sHSP); HSP-16.1 has a protective effect against heat-induced necrosis; HSP-16.1 localizes to the golgi and functions together with the PMR-1/PMR1 Ca2+ and Mn2+ transporting ATPase, and NUCB-1/Nucleobindin1, a golgi-located calcium-buffering protein, to maintain calcium homeostasis, under heat stroke; overexpresiion of pmr-1/PMR1 is sufficient to promote survival after heat stroke, bypassing both HSF-1 and HSP-16.1, indicating that PMR-1/PMR1 functions downstream of both these genes; also, the sHSPs, HSP-16.1, HSP-16.41 and DNJ-19 are required for an acquired tolerance to heat stroke.
Map position created from combination of previous interpolated map position (based on known location of sequence) and allele information. Therefore this is not a genetic map position based on recombination frequencies or genetic experiments. This was done on advice of the CGC.