Heat shock proteins: Biological functions, pathological roles, and therapeutic opportunities
Chen Hu,
Jing Yang,
Ziping Qi,
Hong Wu,
Beilei Wang,
Fengming Zou,
Husheng Mei,
Jing Liu,
Wenchao Wang,
Qingsong Liu
Affiliations
Chen Hu
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Jing Yang
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Ziping Qi
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Hong Wu
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Beilei Wang
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Fengming Zou
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Husheng Mei
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Jing Liu
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Wenchao Wang
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Qingsong Liu
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology Institute of Health and Medical Technology Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Anhui P. R. China
Abstract The heat shock proteins (HSPs) are ubiquitous and conserved protein families in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and they maintain cellular proteostasis and protect cells from stresses. HSP protein families are classified based on their molecular weights, mainly including large HSPs, HSP90, HSP70, HSP60, HSP40, and small HSPs. They function as molecular chaperons in cells and work as an integrated network, participating in the folding of newly synthesized polypeptides, refolding metastable proteins, protein complex assembly, dissociating protein aggregate dissociation, and the degradation of misfolded proteins. In addition to their chaperone functions, they also play important roles in cell signaling transduction, cell cycle, and apoptosis regulation. Therefore, malfunction of HSPs is related with many diseases, including cancers, neurodegeneration, and other diseases. In this review, we describe the current understandings about the molecular mechanisms of the major HSP families including HSP90/HSP70/HSP60/HSP110 and small HSPs, how the HSPs keep the protein proteostasis and response to stresses, and we also discuss their roles in diseases and the recent exploration of HSP related therapy and diagnosis to modulate diseases. These research advances offer new prospects of HSPs as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
