Proceedings of Workshop on “Current Topics of Hyperthermia Oncology”

Biochemistry of Heat Shock Proteins : Induction Mechanism and Function

Abstract

Exposure of living cells from bacteria to man to heat shock results in a drastic change in their pattern of protein synthesis. The heat shock response is characterized by the induction of the synthesis of a set of several proteins called heat shock proteins, accompanied by a general reduction of the overall pattern of protein synthesis. Of the heat shock proteins, two major ones having molecular weights of about 70, 000 and 85, 000 have structural similarities in a variety of organisms and seem to be conserved through evolution. Various treatments of cells other than heat, including tissue damages, anoxia, some poisons, transition metals, and amino acid analogues, can induce heat shock proteins in cells. The heat shock proteins may protect the cells following the stresses.
Here, we review recent findings on the biochemistry of heat shock proteins.