Unconventional Secretion of Heat Shock Proteins in Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are abundant cellular proteins involved with protein homeostasis. They have both constitutive and inducible isoforms, whose expression levels are further increased by stress conditions, such as temperature elevation, reduced oxygen levels, infection, inflammation and exposure to toxic substances. In these situations, HSPs exert a pivotal role in offering protection, preventing cell death and promoting cell recovery. Although the majority of HSPs functions are exerted in the cytoplasm and organelles, several lines of evidence reveal that HSPs are able to induce cell responses in the extracellular milieu. HSPs do not possess secretion signal peptides, and their secretion was subject to widespread skepticism until the demonstration of the role of unconventional secr

SUBMITTER: Santos TG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5454859 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature