1991 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 501-506
Heat shock response originally was described in relation to thermal stress, but it subsequently has been shown that some heat shock proteins can be induced by a wide variety of other forms of stress. A study was conducted to examine whether substances used in chemotherapy induce stress proteins such as heat shock proteins. Penicillin G, imipenem/cilastatin, streptomycin, polymyxin B, and nalidixic acid were tested in Escherichia coli B 178 for their ability to induce stress proteins. All chemotherapeutic substances demonstrated strong induction of stress proteins. It also was demonstrated, by using Escherichia coli B 178/PBR^+ which was transformed plasmid pRB 322, that the antimicrobial action of β-lactam antibiotics has a direct effect on the inducement of stress proteins.
