Objective—We sought to discover proteins that associate with estrogen receptor beta (ER ) and modulate estrogen signaling. Methods and Result—Using a yeast 2-hybrid screen, we identified heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) as an ER -associated protein. HSP27 is a recently identified biomarker of atherosclerosis that is secreted at reduced levels from atherosclerotic compared with normal arteries. In ...

The physiological expression of cytoprotective heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) in the gut was investigated in eighteen 7-wk-old pigs fed one of 3 fiber-rich diets for 18 d. The diets were a cereal-based control diet and a cereal-based diet with inclusion of either 80 g/kg chicory forage (CF80) or chicory root (CR80). Immunohistochemical staining showed that Hsp27 was expressed in all the samples ...

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27/HSPB1), one of the small heat shock proteins, is constitutively expressed in various tissues. HSP27 and its phosphorylation state participate in the regulation of multiple physiological and pathophysiological cell functions. However, the exact roles of HSP27 in osteoblasts remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of HSP27 in the platelet-derive...

The object of this theme is to offer new perspectives on the effect of aging on signal-transduction pathways associated with agonist-induced contraction of smooth muscle cells from the colon. Smooth muscle cells from old rats (32 mo old) exhibit limited cell length distribution and diminished contractility. The observed reduced contractile response may be due to the effect of aging on signal-tr...

[Purpose] Cast immobilization- and cell starvation-induced loss of muscle mass are closely associated with a dramatic reduction in the structural muscle proteins. Heat shock proteins are molecular chaperones that are constitutively expressed in several eukaryotic cells and have been shown to protect against various stressors. However, the changes in the phosphorylation of atrophy-related heat s...

The present study examined phosphorylation-dependent cellular localization and the thermoprotective role of heat shock protein (HSP) 25 in hippocampal HiB5 cells. HSP25 was induced and phosphorylated by heat shock (at 43 degrees C for 3 h). HSP25, which was located in the cytoplasm in the normal condition, translocated into the nucleus after the heat shock. Transfection experiments with hsp27 m...

BACKGROUND AND AIM The precise role of phosphorylated heat shock protein (HSP) 27 (p-HSP27) in pancreatic cancer remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the expression of p-HSP27 predicts the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. METHODS We retrospectively assessed 49 biopsied pancreatic cancer tissue samples that were obtained prior to the treatment...

BACKGROUND Oxidative stress and myocyte apoptosis are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis, progression and prognosis of heart failure (HF). Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) has been found to confer resistance to oxidative stress in cultured cells; however, the role of Hsp27 in in-vivo hearts remains to be determined. AIM To investigate the effects of Hsp27 over-expression on do...

Heat shock of mammalian cells causes protein damage and activates a number of signaling pathways. Some of these pathways enhance the ability of cells to survive heat shock, e.g., induction of molecular chaperones [heat shock protein (HSP) HSP72 and HSP27], activation of the protein kinases extracellular signal-regulated kinase and Akt, and phosphorylation of HSP27. On the other hand, heat shock...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US. Death from PCa primarily results from metastasis. Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MAP2K4) is overexpressed in invasive PCa lesions in humans, and can be inhibited by small molecule therapeutics that demonstrate favorable activity in phase II studies. However, MAP2K4's role in regulating metastatic behavior i...