Neuronal expression of constitutive heat shock proteins: implications for neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been termed "protein misfolding disorders." These diseases differ widely in frequency and impact different classes of neurons. Heat shock proteins provide a line of defense against misfolded, aggregation-prone proteins and are among the most potent suppressors of neurodegeneration in animal models. Analysis of constitutively expressed heat shock proteins revealed variable levels of Hsc70 and Hsp27 in different classes of neurons in the adult rat brain. The differing levels of these constitutively expressed heat shock proteins in neuronal cell populations correlated with the relative frequencies of the previously mentioned neurodegenerative diseases.