6533b86efe1ef96bd12cbc7d

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Hsp60 in Skeletal Muscle: From Molecular Anatomy to Pathophysiology

subject

description

The chaperoning system of an organism is composed of the entire set of chaperones, co-chaperones, and chaperone co-factors and their interactors and receptors. Its functions pertain typically to protein homeostasis but also to many other activities inside and outside cells. In the skeletal muscle, with its multi-molecular structures rich in proteins and their continuous rearrangements, the chaperoning system plays a crucial role. However, little is known about the details of the workings of the chaperoning system in skeletal muscle development and during exercise and disease. Molecular chaperones are surely involved in muscle formation and maintenance under physiologic conditions and under stress but if abnormal or involved in a pathogenic pathway can cause disease, a chaperonopathy. There are many genetic and acquired chaperonopathies affecting muscles primarily. For these reasons, we have begun to study chaperones in skeletal muscle, focusing on Hsp60. This chaperone is essential for muscle activity since it maintains the functionality of the respiratory chain inside the mitochondria, among other critical functions such as defense against oxidative stress. In addition, in skeletal muscle, Hsp60 occurs in the cytosol and the extracellular space but its functions in these non-canonical locations remain to be elucidated.