[Stress proteins in medicine]

Abstract

Stress proteins or in other words heat shock proteins form an ancient defense system of our cells. They are necessary to prevent the aggregation of damaged proteins and to help their refolding after stress. Stress protein-assisted remodeling of protein structure is an important step of many cellular processes, such as protein transport, signaling and protein degradation. Stress proteins have a key role in many diseases. Thus they 1. protect our cells against the deteriorating effects of ischemia/reperfusion in myocardiac infarcts or in stroke; 2. protect transplanted tissues and organs; 3. act against the multiple damage of chronic diseases such as diabetes, or neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease); 4. participate in the etiology of several autoimmune diseases; 5. their activation, and role in antigen presentation can be used as an anticancer-therapy; 6. stress proteins increase longevity, and lastly 7. stress proteins act as a buffer of phenotypically silent mutations and may contribute to the onset of "civilizational diseases" (cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, etc.). In this review the authors also summarize the existing stress protein-related pharmacological approaches to cure a large variety of diseases.