Embryotoxicology Section, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India.
Life Sci. 2010 Mar 13;86(11-12):377-84. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2009.12.015. Epub 2010 Jan 7.
The response to stress triggers activation of the genes involved in cell survival and/or cell death. Stress response is a ubiquitous feature of cells that is induced under stress conditions. As a part of this response a set of genes called stress genes are induced to synthesize a group of proteins called heat shock proteins (Hsps). The Hsps play an essential role as molecular chaperones by assisting the correct folding of nascent and stress-accumulated misfolded proteins, and by preventing their aggregation. Because of their sensitivity to even minor assaults, Hsps are suitable as an early warning bio-indicator of cellular hazard. Despite having enormous use in toxicology, the current state of knowledge in defining a mechanism of action or accurately predicting toxicity based on stress gene expression warrants further investigation. The goal of this review is to summarize current developments in the application of stress genes and their products 'Hsps' in toxicology with a brief discussion of the caveats. While focusing on hsp70 because of its higher conservation across the taxa and since it is one of the first to be induced under stress conditions, we will also discuss other members of the stress gene family.
应激反应会触发涉及细胞存活和/或细胞死亡的基因的激活。应激反应是细胞的普遍特征，在应激条件下会被诱导。作为这种反应的一部分，一组称为应激基因的基因被诱导合成一组称为热休克蛋白 (Hsps) 的蛋白质。Hsps 作为分子伴侣发挥着重要作用，通过协助新生和应激积累的错误折叠蛋白的正确折叠，并防止它们聚集。由于它们对即使是轻微的攻击也很敏感，因此 Hsps 适合作为细胞危险的早期预警生物标志物。尽管在毒理学中有巨大的用途，但目前关于基于应激基因表达定义作用机制或准确预测毒性的知识状况需要进一步研究。本综述的目的是总结应激基因及其产物 Hsps 在毒理学中的应用的最新进展，并简要讨论注意事项。虽然由于其在分类群中的更高保守性以及它是应激条件下最早诱导的基因之一而专注于 hsp70，但我们还将讨论应激基因家族的其他成员。
