Heat Shock is Lethal to Fibroblasts Microinjected with Antibodies against hsp70

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 242; no. 4877; pp. 433 - 436
• Main Authors: Riabowol, Karl T., Mizzen, Lee A., Welch, William J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC The American Association for the Advancement of Science 21.10.1988; American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies - administration & dosage; Antigen-Antibody Complex; B lymphocytes; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Cell lines; Cell physiology; Cell Survival; Cultured cells; Delta cells; Effects of physical and chemical agents; Fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heat; Heat shock proteins; Heat-Shock Proteins - immunology; Heat-Shock Proteins - physiology; HeLa cells; Hot Temperature; Microinjections; Molecular and cellular biology; Monoclonal antibodies; Proteins; Rats; Shock heating; Yeasts; Cell culture; Purification; Monoclonal antibody; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Microinjection; Affinity chromatography; Cell death; Thermal shock; Heat shock protein; Inhibition; Nucleocytoplasmic transport; Fibroblast
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.3175665

Synthesis of a small group of highly conserved proteins in response to elevated temperature and other agents that induce stress is a universal feature of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Although correlative evidence suggests that these proteins play a role in enhancing survival during and after stress, there is no direct evidence to support this in mammalian cells. To assess the role of the most highly conserved heat shock protein (hsp) family during heat shock, affinity-purified monoclonal antibodies to hsp70 were introduced into fibroblasts by needle microinjection. In addition to impairing the heat-induced translocation of hsp70 proteins into the nucleus after mild heat shock treatment, injected cells were unable to survive a brief incubation at 45 degrees C. Cells injected with control antibodies survived a similar heat shock. These results indicate that functional hsp70 is required for survival of these cells during and after thermal stress.