Intriguingly, the closest human homologue of DmHsp22 by sequence alignment, α-crystallin B, is a regulator of intrinsic apoptosis upregulated in neurodegenerative and retinal diseases; it is neuroprotective, directly inhibiting caspase-3 activation by preventing autoproteolytic cleavage of pro-caspase-358. This evidence concerns the gene CASP3 and Abnormal retinal morphology.