Dynamic restricted expression of the chaperone Hsc70 in early chick development.

The non-inducible chaperone heat shock cognate 70 kDa (Hsc70) is regulated during development. We now characterize its dynamic expression pattern from gastrulation to early organogenesis. Throughout this developmental period, hsc70 transcripts were largely restricted to neuroectoderm- and mesoderm-derived structures. In stage 10 embryos, Hsc70 protein was expressed in the neural tube with increasing rostrocaudal and decreasing dorsoventral gradients, and in some somite cells. This highly regulated expression of Hsc70 is likely to reflect specific developmental functions, besides its well-characterized role in protein folding.