Hsp70 chaperones: Cellular functions and molecular mechanism

Hsp70 proteins are central components of the cellular network of molecular chaperones and folding catalysts. They assist a large variety of protein folding processes in the cell by transient association of their substrate binding domain with short hydrophobic peptide segments within their substrate proteins. The substrate binding and release cycle is driven by the switching of Hsp70 between the low-affinity ATP bound state and the high-affinity ADP bound state. Thus, ATP binding and hydrolysis are essential in vitro and in vivo for the chaperone activity of Hsp70 proteins. This ATPase cycle is controlled by co-chaperones of the family of J-domain proteins, which target Hsp70s to their substrates, and by nucleotide exchange factors, which determine the lifetime of the Hsp70-substrate complex. Additional co-chaperones fine-tune this chaperone cycle. For specific tasks the Hsp70 cycle is coupled to the action of other chaperones, such as Hsp90 and Hsp100

Differential translocation of heat shock factor-1 after mild and severe stress to human skin fibroblasts undergoing aging in vitro

Repeated exposure to mild heat shock (HS) has been shown to induce a wide range of health promoting hormetic effects in various biological systems, including human cells undergoing aging in vitro. In order to understand how cells distinguish between mild and severe stress, we have investigated the extent of early and immediate HS response by analyzing the nuclear translocation of the transcription factor heat shock factor-1 (HSF1), in serially passaged normal adult human facial skin fibroblasts exposed to mild (41 °C) or severe (43 °C) HS. Cells respond differently when exposed to mild and severe HS at different passage levels in terms of the extent of HSF1 translocation. In early passage young cells there was a 5-fold difference between mild and severe HS in the extent of HSF1 translocation. However, in near senescent late passage cells, the difference between mild and severe stress in terms of the extent of HSF1 translocation was reduced to less than 2-fold. One of the reasons for this age-related attenuation of heat shock response is due to the fact there was a higher basal level of HSF1 in the nuclei of late passage cells, which is indicative of increased intrinsic stress during cellular aging. These observations are consistent with previously reported data that whereas repeated mild stress given at younger ages can slow down aging and increase the lifespan, the same level of stress given at older ages may not provide the same benefits. Therefore, elucidating the early and immediate steps in the induction of stress response can be useful in deciding whether a particular level of stress is potentially hormetically beneficial or not

Hsp-72, a candidate prognostic indicator of heatstroke

Exposure of rats to environmental heat enhances the expression of heat shock protein-72 (Hsp-72) in most of their organs proportionally to heat stress severity. Pre-induction or over-expression of Hsp-72 prevents organ damage and lethality, suggesting that heat shock proteins (Hsps) may have a pathogenic role in this condition. We investigated the expression profile of Hsps in baboons subjected to environmental heat stress until the core temperature attained 42.5°C (moderate heatstroke) or occurrence of hypotension associated with core temperature ≥43.5°C (severe heatstroke). Western blot analysis demonstrated a differential induction of Hsp-72 among organs of heat-stressed animals with the highest induction in the liver and the lowest in lung. Hsp-60 and Hsc-70 expression was similar between control and heat-stressed animals. ELISA studies indicated a marked release of Hsp-72 into the circulation of baboons with severe heatstroke with a peak at 24 h post-heatstroke onset and remained sustained up to 72 h. Hsp-72 release was not associated with core temperature or systolic blood pressure, but correlated with markers of liver, myocardium, and skeletal muscle tissue necrosis. Non-survivors displayed significantly higher Hsp-72 levels than survivors. No Hsp-60 was detected in the circulation. These findings add further evidence that increased expression of Hsp-72 may be an important component of the host response to severe heatstroke. They also suggest that extracellular Hsp-72 is a marker of multiple organs tissue damage. Whether extracellular Hsp-72 plays a role in the host immune response to heat stress merits further studies

Comparison of the effects of 40% oxygen and two atmospheric absolute air pressure conditions on stress-induced premature senescence of normal human diploid fibroblasts

The pressure during hyperbaric oxygen treatment may increase oxygen toxicity via an augmented oxygen pressure in the gas. Nevertheless, only a few reports have been published on the effect of cells grown under 2 atmospheric absolute (ATA) pressure. To evaluate the effect of pressure on oxygen toxicity and to study effects in addition to oxygen toxicity, we designed an experiment to compare the effects of normobaric mild hyperoxia (NMH, 40% oxygen) and hyperbaric air condition (HA, air with 2 ATA) on human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) in a hyperbaric incubator. HDFs in both the NMH and the HA condition had a similar oxidative stress response and exhibited premature senescence. To investigate differences in gene profiling in cells grown in the NMH and HA conditions, samples from cells exposed to each condition were applied to microarrays. We found no expression difference in genes related to aging and deoxyribonucleic acid damage, but the expression of genes including cell adhesion, stress response, and transcription were significantly increased in fibroblasts that were responsive to pressure. Among 26 statistically reliable genes, the expression of apoptosis related genes such as ADAM22, Bax, BCL2L14, and UBD, as well as tumor suppressor-related genes like Axin2 and ATF, and also mitogen-activated protein kinase-related genes like mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1, histamine receptor, and RAB24, were significantly changed in cells responsive to pressure-induced oxidative stress