Do not stress, just differentiate: role of stress proteins in hematopoiesis

Hematopoiesis permits the constant regeneration of the blood system and is a permanent example of cell differentiation. Defects in its tight regulation can lead to either cell death or abnormal proliferation and may translate into multiple types of blood disorders, including leukemia. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), the expression of which is controlled by heat shock factors (HSFs, currently four known members),1 are a set of highly conserved proteins induced in response to a wide variety of physiological and environmental stress. HSP/HSF overexpression or mislocalization has been described in many cancers, particularly in hematology, and other diseases. Therefore, the involvement of HSFs/HSPs …