Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are oligomeric stress proteins characterized by an α-crystallin domain (ACD) surrounded by a N-terminal arm and C-terminal extension. Publications on sHSPs have reported that they exist in prokaryotes and eukaryotes but, to our knowledge, not in viruses. Here we show that sHSPs are present in some cyanophages that infect the marine unicellular cyanobacteria, Sy...

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are molecular chaperones ubiquitously present in all forms of life, but their function mechanisms remain controversial. Here we show by cryo-electron microscopy and single particle 3D reconstruction that, at the low temperatures (4-25°C), CeHSP17 (a sHSP from Caenorhabditis elegans) exists as a 24-subunit spherical oligomer with tetrahedral symmetry. Our studie...

Heat shock transcription factor (HSF) 1 levels increase in brain regions and decline in kidney during postnatal rat development. In both neonatal and adult rats, levels of HSF1 protein in brain and kidney are proportional to the levels of HSF DNA-binding activity and the magnitude of heat shock protein hsp70 induction after thermal stress. There appears to be more HSF1 protein in adult brain th...

Elevation of the incubation temperature of Chinook salmon embryo cells from 20 to 24 degrees C or exposure to heavy metals such as CdCl2 (5 microM) or ZnCl2 (100 to 500 microM) induces the reversible expression of a set of heat shock or stress proteins. Continuous exposure of the cells to either metal ions or heat shock results in recovery of protein synthesis to a control-like pattern. Treatme...

The small heat shock protein superfamily, extending over all kingdoms, is characterized by a common core domain with variable N- and C-terminal extensions. The relatively hydrophobic N-terminus plays a critical role in promoting and controlling high-order aggregation, accounting for the high degree of structural variability within the superfamily. The effects of N-terminal volume on aggregation...

1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA 2Department of Academic Rheumatology, King’s College, London SE1 1UL, UK 3Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology (STEMBIO), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy 4Department of Neurology and Neuromuscular Reference Center, Ghent University Hospita...

The Heat Is on : Heat-Shock Proteins and Atherosclerosis Print ISSN: 0009-7322. Online ISSN: 1524-4539 Copyright © 2006 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. is published by the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231 Circulation doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.647875 2006;114:870-872 Circulation. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/114/9/870 World W...

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved proteins, which are expressed in response to stress in all the species. Ritossa in 1962 (31), was first to observe an altered puffing pattern in giant chromosomes of salivary glands in Drosophila busckii after heat shock. On microscopic evaluation, areas of increased transcriptional activity in these giant chromosomes appear swollen and are called...

The influence of two different stocking densities (0.20 m2/animal and 0.40 m2/animal) in transit under the hot, humid tropical conditions on heat shock protein (hsp) 70 induction was investigated in 60 Boer does. The animals were road transported for 3 h and the control group was kept under normal conditions in the farm. Irrespective of stocking density, transportation significantly increased h...

Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disease and is characterized by recurrent attacks on eyes, brain, skin, and gut. There is evidence that skewed T-cell responses contributed to its pathophysiology in patients with BD. We found that heat shock proteins (HSPs) reactive T cells were prevalent in patients with BD. Here, we summarize current findings on HSP reactive T cells and t...