1986 Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 90-103
The exposure of cells from a variety of species to an increase in temperature results in the enhanced synthesis of several proteins, which have been referred to as heat shock proteins (HSPs). This phenomenon has been called the heat shock response even though recovery from anoxia, ethanol, heavy metals and a number other chemicals have been shown to induce the synthesis of the same proteins. Therefore, the response should, perhaps, more appropriately be referred to as a stress response.
When prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are heated, those that survive acquire resistance to subsequent heat challenge as shown by an increase in cell survival. This phenomenon is termed thermotolerance. Thermotolerancce is a transient and nonheritable phenomenon which develops over a period of several hours following heat shock and decays within 3-6 days. Although the molecular mechanism (s) for the development of thermotolerance is not yet fully understood, several lines of experiments have demonstrated that enhanced synthesis of HSPs is closely related to the development of thermotolerance.
Here, we reviewd recent findings of biochemical characterization of HSPs and correlation of HSPs and thermotolerance.
