Heat Shock Proteins-New

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are present in most cells, serving as molecular chaperones, and they play a role in cell protection from damage in response to stress stimuli. These capabilities make HSPs excellent for studying pathogenesis of diseases. These include autoimmmunity (inflammatory response), neurodegenerative disease, certain cancers and atherosclerosis.

Heat-shock proteins are named according to their molecular weight. For example, Hsp60, Hsp70 and Hsp90 refer to families of heat shock proteins on the order of 60, 70 and 90 kilodaltons in size, respectively.Note: The protein ubiquitin, which marks proteins for degradation, also has features of a heat shock protein.

Image: Heat shock protein 105 staining of Human Cerebellum Tissue. Paraffin section. Note intense cytoplasmic and nuclear staining of Purkinje cells and neuronal processes.