Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, and Centre for Neuroscience and Nanotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via G. Campi 287, 41125, Modena, Italy.
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Cell Stress Chaperones. 2019 Mar;24(2):295-308. doi: 10.1007/s12192-019-00979-z. Epub 2019 Feb 13.
Small Heat Shock Proteins (sHSPs) evolved early in the history of life; they are present in archaea, bacteria, and eukaryota. sHSPs belong to the superfamily of molecular chaperones: they are components of the cellular protein quality control machinery and are thought to act as the first line of defense against conditions that endanger the cellular proteome. In plants, sHSPs protect cells against abiotic stresses, providing innovative targets for sustainable agricultural production. In humans, sHSPs (also known as HSPBs) are associated with the development of several neurological diseases. Thus, manipulation of sHSP expression may represent an attractive therapeutic strategy for disease treatment. Experimental evidence demonstrates that enhancing the chaperone function of sHSPs protects against age-related protein conformation diseases, which are characterized by protein aggregation. Moreover, sHSPs can promote longevity and healthy aging in vivo. In addition, sHSPs have been implicated in the prognosis of several types of cancer. Here, sHSP upregulation, by enhancing cellular health, could promote cancer development; on the other hand, their downregulation, by sensitizing cells to external stressors and chemotherapeutics, may have beneficial outcomes. The complexity and diversity of sHSP function and properties and the need to identify their specific clients, as well as their implication in human disease, have been discussed by many of the world's experts in the sHSP field during a dedicated workshop in Québec City, Canada, on 26-29 August 2018.
小分子热休克蛋白 (sHSPs) 在生命的早期就进化出来了；它们存在于古菌、细菌和真核生物中。sHSPs 属于分子伴侣超家族：它们是细胞蛋白质量控制机制的组成部分，被认为是抵御危及细胞蛋白质组的条件的第一道防线。在植物中，sHSPs 可以保护细胞免受非生物胁迫，为可持续农业生产提供创新的目标。在人类中，sHSPs（也称为 HSPBs）与几种神经疾病的发展有关。因此，操纵 sHSP 的表达可能代表一种有吸引力的治疗疾病的策略。实验证据表明，增强 sHSP 的伴侣功能可以预防与年龄相关的蛋白质构象疾病，这些疾病的特征是蛋白质聚集。此外，sHSPs 可以在体内促进长寿和健康衰老。此外，sHSPs 还与几种类型的癌症的预后有关。在这里，通过增强细胞健康，sHSP 的上调可能会促进癌症的发展；另一方面，通过使细胞对外部应激源和化疗药物敏感，sHSP 的下调可能会产生有益的结果。2018 年 8 月 26 日至 29 日，在加拿大魁北克市举行的一次专门研讨会上，来自世界上许多 sHSP 领域的专家讨论了 sHSP 功能和特性的复杂性和多样性，以及识别其特定客户的必要性，以及它们在人类疾病中的意义。
