Mechanisms of action of Hsp27 and stress activated signaling

热休克蛋白是一类蛋白质，其细胞表达可通过细胞暴露在潜在的致命性压力下而增加，如热休克。其中一种叫做Hsp27的小分子热休克蛋白就是其中之一。这种蛋白质在各种类型的细胞中都有表达，但我感兴趣的是它在神经系统细胞中的作用。我们的研究表明，这种蛋白质可以保护神经元免受各种应激源的损害。然而，这种蛋白也在正常的感觉神经元中被发现，我们并不完全了解它在正常细胞中的作用。它似乎在这些感觉神经元在神经损伤后再生的能力中发挥作用。我们在这个项目中描述的研究旨在帮助我们了解Hsp27如何与神经元细胞骨架(再生所需的)相互作用，以及它如何有助于促进损伤后的再生。了解像sHsps这样的蛋白质如何在正常神经系统中发挥作用，特别是在再生潜力相当好的神经元中，将提供有关神经元生长调控方式的基本信息。Hsp27在神经元中的正常作用，特别是在那些结构性表达的神经元中，并不完全清楚；不是所有的神经元都表达Hsp27，也不是所有的神经元都能诱导表达。这表明它在感觉神经元中的存在有一些特殊之处，这可能与周围神经轴突的再生潜力通常很高有关，而不是中枢神经系统的轴突。

Heat shock proteins are a class of proteins whose cellular expression can be increased by exposure of the cells to a potentially lethal stress, such as heat shock. One of these proteins is the small heat shock protein called Hsp27. This protein is expressed in a variety of cell types, but my interest is in its role in cells of the nervous system. Our research has shown that this protein can protect neurons from damage from various stressors. However, this protein is also found normal sensory neurons and we do not fully understand its role in the normal cells. It appears to play a role in the ability of these sensory neurons to regenerate after nerve injury. The research we describe in this project is designed to help us understand how Hsp27 can interact with the neuronal cytoskeleton (that is required for regeneration) and how it may contribute to promoting regeneration after damage. Understanding how proteins such as the sHsps function in the normal nervous system, particularly in neurons whose regenerative potential is quite good, will provide basic information on ways in which neuronal growth can be regulated. The normal role of Hsp27 in neurons, particularly those in which it is constitutively expressed, is not fully known; not all neurons express Hsp27 nor can it be induced in all neurons. This suggests that there is something special about its presence in sensory neurons which could be related to the generally very high regenerative potential of peripheral nerve axons, in contrast to that of CNS axons.