Hsp60 Friend and Foe of the Nervous System

2019

Hsp60 belongs to the subgroup of molecular chaperones named chaperonins and, typically, resides and functions in the mitochondria but it is also present in extramitochondrial sites. It chaperones client peptides as they fold to achieve the native conformation and also displays anti-stress roles by helping stress-damaged proteins regain a functional shape. Thus, Hsp60 is central to the integrity and functionality of mitochondria and energy production. All cells in the nervous system depend on Hsp60 so when the chaperonin malfunctions the consequences on nervous tissues are usually devastating, causing diverse diseases. These are the Hsp60 chaperonopathies, which can be genetic or acquired wi…

Exosomal HSP60 levels and related miRNAs in brain tumors

In cancer, Extracellular Vesicles (EVs), such as exosomes, contribute to tumor progression by regulating local and systemic parameters [1,2]. Since exosomes are released into body fluids, they may be used in nanomedicine as a valuable source of diagnostic biomarkers [3]. The prognosis of brain tumors is poor even after surgical resection followed by post-operatory chemo- and radio-therapies and it is cogent to find innovative treatments. The discovery that molecular chaperones can be determinant factors in tumorigenesis and the increasing understanding of exosomes, particularly in what refers to their release by tumor cells and contents, including chaperones and miRNA, provide elements to d…

Comparative analysis of Hsp10 and Hsp90 expression in healthy mucosa and adenocarcinoma of the large bowel.

2014

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) assist other proteins in their folding and drive the degradation of defective proteins. During evolution, these proteins have also acquired other roles. Hsp10 is involved in immunomodulation and tumor progression. Hsp90 stabilizes a range of "client" proteins involved in cell signaling. The present study evaluated the expression levels of Hsp10 and Hsp90 in normal mucosa and adenocarcinoma samples of human large bowel.Samples of normal mucosa and adenocarcinoma were collected and Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR, western blotting (WB) analyses, as well as immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate the expression levels of Hsp10 and Hsp90…

Hsp60 and human aging: Les liaisons dangereuses 

2013

Stressors can cause abnormal intracellular accumulation of Hsp60 and its localization in extramitochondrial sites, secretion, and circulation, with immune system activation. Dysfunction of chaperones associated with their quantitative and qualitative decline with aging (chaperonopathies of aging) characterizes senescence and is a potential causal factor in the physiological deterioration that occurs with it. The role of Hsp60 in aging is not easy to elucidate, because aging is accompanied by pathologies (e.g., cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders, osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, etc.) in which Hsp60 has been implicated but, although those disorders are more frequent in the elderly…