Examination of the expression of the heat shock protein gene, hsp110, in Xenopus laevis cultured cells and embryos

Eukaryotic organisms respond to various stresses with the synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSPs). HSP110 is a large molecular mass HSP that is part of the HSP70/DnaK superfamily. In this study, we have examined, for the first time, the expression of the hsp110 gene in Xenopus laevis cultured cells and embryos. Sequence analysis revealed that the protein encoded by the hsp110 cDNA exhibited 74% identity with its counterparts in mammals and only 27-29% with members of the Xenopus HSP70 family. Hsp110 mRNA and/or protein was detected constitutively in A6 kidney epithelial cells and was inducible by heat shock, sodium arsenite, and cadmium chloride. However, treatment with ethanol or copper sulfate had no detectable effect on hsp110 mRNA levels. Similar results were obtained for hsp70 mRNA except that it was inducible with ethanol. In Xenopus embryos, hsp110 mRNA was present constitutively during development. Heat shock-inducible accumulation of hsp110 mRNA occurred only after the midblastula stage. Whole mount in situ hybridization analysis revealed that hsp110 mRNA accumulation in control and heat shocked embryos was enriched in selected tissues. These studies demonstrate that Xenopus hsp110 gene expression is constitutive and stress inducible in cultured cells and developmentally- and tissue specifically-regulated during early embryogenesis.     

Differential regulation of HSC70, HSP70, HSP90 alpha, and HSP90 beta mRNA expression by mitogen activation and heat shock in human lymphocytes

A subset of heat shock proteins, HSP90 alpha, HSP90 beta, and a member of the HSP70 family, HSC70, shows enhanced synthesis following mitogenic activation as well as heat shock in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In this study, we have examined expression of mRNA for these proteins, including the major 70-kDa heat shock protein, HSP70, in mononuclear cells following either heat shock or mitogenic activation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), ionomycin, and the phorbol ester, tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate. The results demonstrate that the kinetics of mRNA expression of these four genes generally parallel the kinetics of enhanced protein synthesis seen following either heat shock or mitogen activation and provide clear evidence that mitogen-induced synthesis of HSC70 and HSP90 is due to increased mRNA levels and not simply to enhanced translation of preexisting mRNA. Although most previous studies have focused on cell cycle regulation of HSP70 mRNA, we found that HSP70 mRNA was only slightly and transiently induced by PHA activation, while HSC70 is the predominant 70-kDa heat shock protein homologue induced by mitogens. Similarly, HSP90 alpha appears more inducible by heat shock than mitogens while the opposite is true for HSP90 beta. These results suggest that, although HSP70 and HSC70 have been shown to contain similar promoter regions, additional regulatory mechanisms which result in differential expression to a given stimulus must exist. They clearly demonstrate that human lymphocytes are an important model system for determining mechanisms for regulation of heat shock protein synthesis in unstressed cells. Finally, based on kinetics of mRNA expression, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that HSC70 and HSP90 gene expression are driven by an IL-2/IL-2 receptor-dependent pathway in human T cells.     

Examination of the stress-induced expression of the collagen binding heat shock protein, hsp47, in Xenopus laevis cultured cells and embryos

HSP47 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident molecular chaperone involved in collagen production. This study examined the stress-induced pattern of hsp47 gene expression in Xenopus cultured cells and embryos. Sequence analysis revealed that protein encoded by the hsp47 cDNA exhibited 70-77% identity with fish, avian and mammalian HSP47. In A6 kidney epithelial cells hsp47 mRNA and HSP47 were present constitutively and inducible by heat shock but not ER stressors including tunicamycin and A23187, both of which enhanced BiP mRNA. Furthermore A23187 treatment inhibited constitutive accumulation of hsp47 mRNA and retarded heat-induced accumulation of hsp47 and hsp70 mRNA. Interestingly, hsp47 gene expression but not hsp70 or BiP mRNA accumulation was enhanced by treatment with a procollagen-specific stressor, beta-aminopropionitrile. In Xenopus embryos hsp47 mRNA was present constitutively throughout development. In tailbud embryos hsp47 mRNA was enriched in tissues associated with collagen production including notochord, somites and head region. Heat shock-induced accumulation of hsp47 mRNA was enhanced primarily in embryonic tissues already exhibiting hsp47 mRNA accumulation. These studies suggest that the pattern of Xenopus hsp47 gene expression is similar to hsp70 in response to heat shock but also displays unique features including a response to a procollagen-specific stressor and preferential expression in collagen-containing tissues.     

Examination of cadmium-induced expression of the small heat shock protein gene, hsp30, in Xenopus laevis A6 kidney epithelial cells

Cadmium is a highly toxic environmental pollutant that has been classified as a human carcinogen. Toxicological responses to cadmium exposure include respiratory diseases, neurological disorders and kidney damage. In the present study, we have characterized the effect of cadmium on the accumulation of the small heat shock protein (HSP), HSP30, in Xenopus laevis A6 kidney epithelial cells. Incubation of A6 cells with cadmium chloride induced the accumulation of HSP30 protein and hsp30 mRNA. While HSP70 protein and hsp70 mRNA accumulation were also induced, the relative levels of actin remained relatively unaffected. Elevated levels of HSP30 were detected in cells undergoing prolonged exposure of cells to cadmium chloride or in cells recovering from cadmium chloride treatment. Immunocytochemical analysis of cadmium chloride-treated A6 cells revealed HSP30 accumulation primarily in the cytoplasm in a punctate pattern supplemented with larger HSP30 staining structures. Also, HSP30 co-localized with the F-actin cytoskeleton at higher cadmium chloride concentrations. The combination of mild heat shock temperatures plus cadmium chloride concentrations employed in this study resulted in a synergistic accumulation of HSP30 protein and hsp30 mRNA. Finally, in contrast to heat shock, prior exposure of Xenopus A6 cells to cadmium chloride treatment, sufficient to induce the accumulation of HSPs, did not protect the cells against a subsequent thermal challenge.     

Examination of KNK437- and quercetin-mediated inhibition of heat shock-induced heat shock protein gene expression in Xenopus laevis cultured cells

We examined the effect of quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavon) and KNK437 (N-formyl-3,4-methylenedioxy-benzylidene-gamma-butyrolactam), a benzylidene lactam compound, on heat-induced heat shock protein (hsp) gene expression in Xenopus laevis A6 kidney epithelial cells. In previous studies, both quercetin and KNK437 inhibited heat shock factor activity resulting in a repression of hsp mRNA and protein accumulation in human cultured cells. In this first study of the effect of these hsp gene expression inhibitors in a non-mammalian cell line, we report that both quercetin and KNK437 reduced the heat shock-induced accumulation of hsp30, hsp47 and hsp70 mRNA in X. laevis cultured cells. However, these inhibitors had no effect on the relative level of a non-heat shock protein mRNA, ef1alpha, in either control or heat shocked cells. Western blot and immunocytochemical analyses revealed that quercetin partially inhibited HSP30 protein accumulation. In contrast, HSP30 protein was not detectable in KNK437-treated cells. Finally, treatment of A6 cells with KNK437 inhibited the heat shock-induced acquisition of thermotolerance, as determined by preservation of actin filaments and cellular morphology using immunocytochemistry and laser scanning confocal microscopy.     

Effects of cycloheximide on thermotolerance expression, heat shock protein synthesis, and heat shock protein mRNA accumulation in rat fibroblasts.

A single hyperthermic exposure can render cells transiently resistant to subsequent high temperature stresses. Treatment of rat embryonic fibroblasts with cycloheximide for 6 h after a 20-min interval at 45 degrees C inhibits protein synthesis, including heat shock protein (hsp) synthesis, and results in an accumulation of hsp 70 mRNA, but has no effect on subsequent survival responses to 45 degrees C hyperthermia. hsp 70 mRNA levels decreased within 1 h after removal of cycloheximide but then appeared to stabilize during the next 2 h (3 h after drug removal and 9 h after heat shock). hsp 70 mRNA accumulation could be further increased by a second heat shock at 45 degrees C for 20 min 6 h after the first hyperthermic exposure in cycloheximide-treated cells. Both normal protein and hsp synthesis appeared increased during the 6-h interval after hyperthermia in cultures which received two exposures to 45 degrees C for 20 min compared with those which received only one treatment. No increased hsp synthesis was observed in cultures treated with cycloheximide, even though hsp 70 mRNA levels appeared elevated. These data indicate that, although heat shock induces the accumulation of hsp 70 mRNA in both normal and thermotolerant cells, neither general protein synthesis nor hsp synthesis is required during the interval between two hyperthermic stresses for Rat-1 cells to express either thermotolerance (survival resistance) or resistance to heat shock-induced inhibition of protein synthesis.     

HSP70 mRNA translation in chicken reticulocytes is regulated at the level of elongation

During heat shock of chicken reticulocytes the synthesis of a single heat shock protein, HSP70, increases greater than 10-fold, while the level of HSP70 mRNA increases less than 2-fold during the same period. Comparison of the in vivo levels of HSP70 and beta-globin synthesis with their mRNA abundance reveals that the translation of HSP70 mRNA is repressed in normal reticulocytes and is activated upon heat shock. In its translationally repressed state HSP70 mRNA is functionally associated with polysomes based on sedimentation analysis of polysomes from untreated or puromycin-treated cells and by analysis of in vitro "run-off" translation products using isolated polysomes. Treatment of control and heat shocked cells with the initiation inhibitor pactamycin reveals that elongation of the HSP70 nascent peptide is not completely arrested, but is slower in control cells. Furthermore, the inefficient translation of HSP70 mRNA in vivo is not due to the lack of an essential translation factor; HSP70 mRNA is efficiently translated in chicken reticulocyte translation extracts as well as in heterologous rabbit reticulocyte extracts. Our results reveal that a major control point for HSP70 synthesis in reticulocytes is the elongation rate of the HSP70 nascent peptide.     

Acquisition of the heat-shock response and thermotolerance during early development of Xenopus laevis

The ability to synthesize a 68,000- to 70,000-Da protein (hsp) in heat-shocked early Xenopus laevis embryos is dependent on the stage of development. Whereas late blastula and later stage embryos synthesize hsp68-70 after heat shock, cleavage stages are incompetent with respect to hsp synthesis. In vitro translation experiments and RNA blot analyses demonstrate that enhanced synthesis of hsp68-70 is associated with an accumulation of hsp68-70 mRNA. Examination of the effect of heat shock on preexisting actin mRNA reveals that heat shock promotes a reduction in the levels of actin mRNA in cleavage embryos but has no discernible effect on actin mRNA levels in neurula embryos. Finally, the acquisition of the heat-shock response (i.e., synthesis of hsp68-70 and accumulation of hsp70 mRNA) during early Xenopus development is correlated with the acquisition of thermotolerance.