Heat shock protein expression and immunity in chlamydial infections

✍ Scribed by R.W. Peeling; D.C.W. Mabey

• Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 83 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1064-7449
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-0997(1999)7:1/2<72::aid-idog14>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

H eat shock proteins (hsps) are among the most abundant proteins in nature and are highly conserved amongst both eucaryotes and procaryotes. The heat shock response is an important survival mechanism that safeguards the cell or microbe from conditions of stress. The response is triggered transcriptionally and results in the production of newly synthesized proteins within minutes of the cell or microbe encountering a stressful environment. Little is known about the specific functions of these hsps, but it is speculated that they may be involved in vital cell functions, such as the assembly and disassembly of macromolecules and intracellular transport, as well as the proteolysis of aberrant or dysfunctional molecules, thus maintaining the cell in a healthy vegetative state. 1 They may also have a role in intracellular antigen presentation and processing. 2 Some hsps are constitutively expressed throughout normal cycles of growth and development, while others are induced under hostile conditions or conditions of stress, such as a change in temperature, pH, oxidative state, conditions of iron or nutrient deprivation, or the presence of enzymes or toxic chemicals.