a-Crystallin, a molecular chaperone and lens structural protein protects soluble enzymes against heat-induced aggregation and inactivation by a variety of molecules. In this study we investigated the chaperone function ofa-crys-tallininamorephysiological systeminwhicha-crystallinwas incorporated into red cell ghosts . Its ability to protect the intrinsic membrane protein Na/K-ATPase from external stresses was studied. Red cell ghosts were created by lysing the red cells and removing cytoplasmic contents by size-exclusion chromatography. .
