When eukaryotic cells are exposed to elevated temperatures they respond by vigorously synthesizing a small group of proteins called the heat shock proteins. An essential element in defining the role of these proteins is determining whether they are unique to a stressed state or are also found in healthy, rapidly growing cells at normal temperatures. To date, there have been conflicting reports ...

Background: Varicocele is a major cause of male infertility, as it may impair spermatogenesis through several distinct pathophysiological mechanisms including hypoxia, renal-adrenal reflux, hormonal dysfunction, autoimmunity, oxidative stress and hyperthermia. HSP70s are members of the heat shock protein (HSP) family, which are considered intracellular chaperones. Their expressions can increase...

Heat shock factors (Hsfs) play a central regulatory role in acquired thermotolerance. To understand the role of the major molecular players in wheat adaptation to heat stress, the Hsf family was investigated in Triticum aestivum. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses identified 56 TaHsf members, which are classified into A, B, and C classes. Many TaHsfs were constitutively expressed. Subclass...

The response of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus cells to heat stress was studied by use of a chemically defined medium. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis was used to correlate the kinetics of heat shock protein (HSP) induction with cell recovery from heat injury. We demonstrated that enhanced viability, observed after 10 min at 65 degrees C, resulted from the overexpre...

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) group A1 heat shock factors (Hsfs), including HsfA1a, are important regulators in the heat shock response. Previous studies have revealed that genetically engineered HsfA1 members result in constitutive Hsf activation and heat shock protein gene (Hsp) expression under normal conditions, eventually enhancing basic thermotolerance in transgenic plants. In this s...

The expression of heat shock proteins (Hsp) expression is induced in all cells by exposure to heat and other environmental stress and Hsp can protect cells from damage through further exposure. Hsp are highly conserved and it is likely that they are essential for survival in a potentially harmful environment. Most Hsp are molecular chaperones sensing unfolded proteins and mediating their re-fol...

The early embryo of Drosophila melanogaster did not survive treatment at 37 degrees C (heat shock) for 25 min. The histological analysis of eggs treated in this way showed that the heat shock caused disintegration of nuclei and of cytoplasmic islands, displacement and swelling of nuclei and blocked mitoses. These effects were not observed in embryos treated after blastoderm formation. After thi...

Heat stress and ultraviolet light in the UVB range ("sunburn spectrum," 290-320 nm) were found to alter the synthesis of specific proteins in cultured keratinocytes derived from mouse skin. Using giant two-dimensional gels, approximately 2,000 cellular polypeptides labeled with [35S]methionine at 4-5 h after exposure to heat or to UVB were analyzed. Cells conditioned at sublethal temperatures (...

This study attempted to ascertain whether the ischemic damage to neurons and monoamine overload in brain that occur during rat heatstroke can be attenuated by heat shock protein (HSP) 72 induction. Effects of heatstroke on mean arterial pressure (MAP), cerebral blood flow (CBF), brain dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) release, and neural damage score were assayed in rats 0, 16, or 48 h after h...