The Role of Hsp70 in Adaptation to Adverse Conditions and Its Possible Medical Application

Abstract

In the present era of global warming and dramatically increased environmental pollution posing a threat to animal life, the understanding and manipulation of organisms' resources of stress tolerance is apparently a question of survival. Heat stress and other forms of stressful factors induce a highly organized response of organisms at the cellular level where heat shock proteins (Hsps) and in particular Hsp70 family of chaperones are among the major players in the protection from the environmental challenge. The present review article summarizes the peculiarities of the Hsp70 family of proteins protective functions being a result of many millions of years of adaptive evolution. It discusses the molecular structure and specific details of hsp70 gene regulation in various organisms, living in diverse climatic zones, with a special emphasis on the protective role of Hsp70 in adverse conditions of the environment. The review discusses the molecular mechanisms underlying Hsp70-specific properties that emerged in the course of adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. This review also includes the data on the anti-inflammatory role of Hsp70 and the involvement of endogenous and recombinant Hsp70 (recHsp70) in proteostatic machinery in various pathologies including neurodegenerative ones such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in rodent model organisms and humans in vivo and in vitro. Specifically, the role of Hsp70 as an indicator of disease type and severity and the use of recHsp70 in several pathologies are discussed. The review discusses different roles exhibited by Hsp70 in various diseases including the dual and sometimes antagonistic role of this chaperone in various forms of cancer and viral infection including the SARS-Cov-2 case. Since Hsp70 apparently plays an important role in many diseases and pathologies and has significant therapeutic potential there is a dire need to develop cheap recombinant Hsp70 production and further investigate the interaction of externally supplied and endogenous Hsp70 in chaperonotherapy.

Keywords: adaptation to environmental stress; heat shock proteins; inflammation; proteostasis; recombinant Hsp70 biomedical applications.