Metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes are progressive, indolent, multi-organ diseases. Understanding the abnormalities of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in these diseases is paramount to understanding their pathogenesis. In insulin resistant states and diabetes, heat shock factor 1(HSF-1) is low in insulin sensitive tissues, resulting in low Hsp 60, 70, and 90 levels. We propose that low Hsps leve...

This review examines the effects of thermal stress on gene expression, with special emphasis on changes in the expression of genes other than heat shock proteins (HSPs). There are approximately 50 genes not traditionally considered to be HSPs that have been shown, by conventional techniques, to change expression as a result of heat stress, and there are <20 genes (including HSPs) that have been...

An array of stress signals triggering the bacterial cellular stress response is well known in Escherichia coli and other bacteria. Heat stress is usually sensed through the misfolded outer membrane porin (OMP) precursors in the periplasm, resulting in the activation of σ(E) (encoded by rpoE), which binds to RNA polymerase to start the transcription of genes required for responding against the h...

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a large family of proteins highly conserved throughout evolution because of their unique cytoprotective properties. Besides assisting protein refolding and regulating proteostasis under stressful conditions, HSPs also play an important role in protecting cells from oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Therefore, HSPs are crucial in counteracting the dele...

A bioinformatics finding shows that numerous human heat shock proteins (HSPs) homologues are common in plants. Human heat shock proteins (HSPs), which are expressed to higher temperature or other stress, have chaperone activity belong to four conserved classes: HSP60, HSP70, HSP90 and HSP100. Bioinformatics blast search reveals that each of the human HSP classes possess a number of plant homolo...

Defects within apoptotic pathways have been implicated in prostate cancer (PCa) tumorigenesis, metastatic progression and treatment resistance. A hallmark of cancers is the ability to derail apoptosis by inhibiting the apoptotic signal, reducing the expression of apoptotic proteins and/or amplifying survival signals through increased production of antiapoptotic molecule. This review describes a...

Our cells and tissues are challenged constantly by exposure to extreme conditions that cause acute and chronic stress. Consequently, survival has necessitated the evolution of stress response networks to detect, monitor, and respond to environmental changes (Morimoto et al. 1990, 1994a; Baeuerle 1995; Baeuerle and Baltimore 1996; Feige et al. 1996; Morimoto and Santoro 1998). Prolonged exposure...

Cells from virtually all organisms respond to a variety of stresses by the rapid synthesis of a highly conserved set of polypeptides termed heat shock proteins (HSPs). The precise functions of HSPs are unknown, but there is considerable evidence that these stress proteins are essential for survival at both normal and elevated temperatures. HSPs also appear to play a critical role in the develop...

The oral cavity is a complex ecosystem in which several hundred microbial species normally cohabit harmoniously. However, under certain special conditions, the growth of some micro-organisms with a pathogenic potential is promoted, leading to infections such as dental caries, periodontal disease, and stomatitis. The physiology and pathogenic properties of micro-organisms are influenced by modif...