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Heat shock protein hsp70 overexpression confers resistance against nitric oxide
Author(s) -
Bellmann Kerstin,
Jäättelä Marja,
Wissing Dorte,
Burkart Volker,
Kolb Hubert
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(96)00730-2
Subject(s) - hsp70 , nitric oxide , heat shock protein , transfection , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , islet , lysis , cell culture , nitric oxide synthase , biology , biochemistry , gene , endocrinology , insulin , organic chemistry , genetics
Heat stress is known to render rat islet cells resistant against the toxic effects of nitric oxide, reactive oxygen intermediates and the islet cell toxin streptozotocin. We report here for the first time that protection against nitric oxide is mediated by the major heat shock protein, hsp70, even in the absence of heat stress. The human hsp70 gene was stably transfected into the rat insulinoma cell line RINm5F. Constitutive expression of hsp70 caused protection from NO‐induced cell lysis which was of the same extent as seen after heat stressing cells. Our results identify hsp70 as a defence molecule against nitric oxide.