Synthesis of heat-shock proteins and tumor growth.

Exposure to hyperthermia induces the preferential synthesis of a set of proteins, known as heat-shock proteins. The synthesis of heat-shock proteins has been studied in rat liver cells, and human lymphocytes, and in their neoplastic counterparts. Tumor cells synthesize heat-shock proteins essentially as their normal controls, but the response of ascites hepatoma cells depends on the presence of glucose in the medium. Solid hepatoma slices seem to synthesize some heat-shock proteins constitutively, i.e., before exposure to high temperature. Any possible interpretation of this fact must take into account the growth of tumor cells.