Thrombosis Research Institute, London, UK.
Curr Med Chem. 2010;17(10):957-73. doi: 10.2174/092986710790820688.
The highly conserved heat-shock proteins (HSPs) from mammals and microbial reagents are among the immunogenic proteins. Their expression is induced in response to a wide variety of physiological and environmental insults. Their functions as molecular chaperones allow cells to adapt to gradual changes in their environment and to survive in otherwise lethal conditions. Although the role of HSPs in atherosclerosis remains controversial, HSPs were thought to act as autoantigens, and trigger both cell- and antibody-mediated immune responses. However, HSPs possess immunoregulatory attributes as well and therefore, are being exploited for immunomodulation of atherosclerosis either by the adaptive or innate immune system. This review will focus on a number of HSPs from different families including HSPE, HSPB, DNAJ, HSPD, HSPA, HSPC and HSPH. The role of these HSPs, their protective vs. immunogenic properties with special emphasis on their potential as targets to develop therapeutic agent against atherosclerosis will be discussed.
哺乳动物和微生物试剂中的高度保守热休克蛋白 (HSPs) 是免疫原性蛋白之一。它们的表达是对各种生理和环境刺激的反应诱导的。作为分子伴侣，它们的功能使细胞能够适应环境的逐渐变化，并在其他致命条件下生存。尽管 HSPs 在动脉粥样硬化中的作用仍存在争议，但 HSPs 被认为是自身抗原，并引发细胞和抗体介导的免疫反应。然而，HSPs 也具有免疫调节特性，因此，无论是适应性免疫系统还是先天免疫系统，都在利用 HSPs 来调节动脉粥样硬化。这篇综述将重点介绍来自不同家族的几种 HSPs，包括 HSPE、HSPB、DNAJ、HSPD、HSPA、HSPC 和 HSPH。将讨论这些 HSPs 的作用、它们的保护与免疫原性特性，特别强调它们作为开发抗动脉粥样硬化治疗剂的潜在靶点的潜力。
