Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME, also called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), a common disease with chronic fatigability, cognitive dysfunction and myalgia of unknown etiology, often starts with an infection. The chaperonin human heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) occurs in mitochondria and in bacteria, is highly conserved, antigenic and a major autoantigen. The anti-HSP60 humoral (IgG and IgM) immune respo...

To investigate the protective role of Hsp60 against stress damage and its role in the sudden death of stressed animals, changes in the levels of Hsp60 protein and hsp60 mRNA of myocardial cells in vivo and in vitro were studied. In addition, the relationship between Hsp60 expression and heat-induced damage was also studied. Rats were exposed to a temperature of 42° ± 1°C for 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, ...

BACKGROUND Heat shock protein (HSP)60 is an abundant protein found primarily in the mitochondria, though 15% to 20% is found in the cytosol. Previously we observed that HSP60 complexes with bax in the cytosol. Reduction in HSP60 precipitates translocation of bax to the mitochondria and apoptosis. We hypothesized that HSP60 would decrease with hypoxia/reoxygenation and that this would precipitat...

The molecular chaperone HSP60 is a chaperonin homolog of GroEL. We had previously shown that the immunosuppressant mizoribine is bound directly to HSP60 and inhibited its chaperone activity. However, the inhibitory mechanisms of HSP60 by mizoribine have not yet been fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the influence of mizoribine on a folding cycle of HSP60 and co-chaperone H...

Heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) forms together with heat shock protein 10 (HSP10) double-barrel chaperonin complexes that are essential for folding to the native state of proteins in the mitochondrial matrix space. Two extremely rare monogenic disorders have been described that are caused by missense mutations in the HSPD1 gene that encodes the HSP60 subunit of the HSP60/HSP10 chaperonin complex....

We recently reported that heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) via TLR4 signaling activates B cells and induces them to proliferate and secrete IL-10. We now report that HSP60 inhibits mouse B cell apoptosis, spontaneous or induced by dexamethasone or anti-IgM activation. Unlike HSP60 enhancement of B cell proliferation and IL-10 secretion, TLR4 signaling was not required for the inhibition of apoptos...

Soluble 60 kDa heat shock protein (HSP60) activates macrophages via TLR4. We now report that soluble HSP60 activates T cells via the innate receptor TLR2. HSP60 activated T cell adhesion to fibronectin to a degree similar to other activators: IL-2, SDF-1alpha, and RANTES. T cell type and state of activation was important; nonactivated CD45RA+ and IL-2-activated CD45RO+ T cells responded optimal...

Insulin deficiency downregulates HSP60 and IGF-I receptor signaling and disrupts intracellular signaling homeostasis in diabetic cardiac muscle. Our previous studies had shown that IGF-I receptor signaling can be modulated by the abundance of HSP60. Since HSP60 localizes to the cytoplasmic compartment and mitochondria, this study was carried out to determine the distribution of cytosolic and mi...

BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is characterized by the presence of activated immune-competent cells including dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells, dead cells, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein. HSP60 (Heat shock protein 60) has been implicated in atherosclerosis. A plasma protein, Annexin A5, has atheroprotective properties. METHODS AND RESULTS Human DCs differentiated from peripheral blood mono...

BACKGROUND Serum antibodies against major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) from Chlamydia trachomatis are correlated with sequelae following infection. Since bacterial and human HSP60 share considerable sequence homology, cross-reactivity to human HSP60 is suggested as being involved in tubal factor infertility (TFI). The aim was to investigate whether antibodies ...