HSP90β participates in regulation of heat shock gene expression

Heat shock proteins (HSP) are a group of proteins highly conserved in evolution.They play important physiological roles, usually as molecular chaperones in living cells, and take great parts in cell protection process against stress, and in signal transduction as well.HSP70 and HSP90 are the major HSPs expressed in human peripheral lymphocytes upon heat shock. HSP90 consists of two copies, designated as HSP90α and HSP90β. Heat shock factors (HSF), the trans regulators, participate in the regulation of HSP gene transcription. Different from HSP70 which is dramatically induced by stress, both heat shock and cold shock, HSP90 expresses at a relatively high level physiologically and may exist as complexes with various steroid receptors or some important components in signal transduction pathway, and plays a role of specific molecular chaperone. The aim of