Heat shock proteins and neurological disorders
Satoh, J.
Nihon Rinsho. Japanese Journal of Clinical Medicine 52(11): 2861-2867
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-1852 PMID: 7996681 Document Number: 435852
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a highly conserved group of proteins which are produced when cells are confronted with a variety of stressful insults such as heat shock, hypoxia/ischemia, metabolic disruption, and exposure to cytotoxic reagents. Under unstressed conditions, HSPs act as molecular chaperones which play pivotal roles in the course of maturation of various cellular proteins. Under stressed conditions, they play a protective role against irreversible cell damage and promote recovery of the cells experiencing stress. In the central nervous system, proteins of the HSP 90, HSP 70, HSP 60, and small HSP families are expressed constitutively and/or induced by stressful events, differentially in distinct cell types. Aberrant expression of HSPs might be implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.