Molecular Chaperone HSP70 and Key Regulators of Apoptosis - A Review

Identified as a molecular chaperone constitutively being synthesized due to enhanced elevated temperature change, this heat shock protein HSP70 has shown to be intimately involved in many protein biogenesis, facilitating the synthesis and folding of proteins and trafficking of nascent peptides during cell growth. HSP70 also plays a vital role in protein assembly, regulation and interaction with a wide variety of proteins. Stress-induced cell death is under the control of the Bcl-2 family of apoptotic regulators and display either pro-apoptotic or anti-apoptotic activities. Subjected to stress conditions such as heat shock, cells have been reported to express elevated expressions of HSP70. Moreover, this molecular chaperon has shown to act at multiple levels to suppress stressed-induced apoptotic signals of some Bcl-2 members by repairing, re-synthesizing damaged proteins, and stabilizing unfolded proteins. Therefore, HSP70 synthesis can act as an essential recovery mode for cellular survival and adaptation during lethal conditions.