PURPOSE Hsp27 is a well-characterized and studied antiapoptotic protein. A recent study reported that Hsp27 is upregulated in the retina after retinal ischemic preconditioning. The timing of this upregulation of Hsp27 correlates with the protective effects of the treatment. It was the goal of the current study to determine what role Hsp27 plays in this protection. METHODS The rat homologue of...

We previously established a role for HSP27 as a predictive marker for therapeutic response towards gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer. Here, we investigate the underlying mechanisms of HSP27-mediated gemcitabine sensitivity. Utilizing a pancreatic cancer cell model with stable HSP27 overexpression, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction were analysed by flow cytometry, nuclear staining, immuno...

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the inhibition of HSP27 phosphorylation, which affects certain cellular functions, modulates sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in colorectal cancer cells. Exposure to 5-FU in HCT116 and HCT15 cells expressing high levels of HSP27 with a low 5-FU sensitivity caused a minimal change in HSP27 expression, but induced the upregulation of HSP...

The effects of storage temperatures, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, or delays in separating plasma or serum from blood samples are largely unknown for heat shock protein 27 (HSP27). We evaluated (1) the imprecision of the HSP27 assay used in this study; (2) the in vitro stability of HSP27 in blood samples stored at 4°C for up to 6 hr with immediate and delayed serum/plasma separation from cells; ...

Activation of the serine-threonine kinase Akt by cytokines, chemokines, and bacterial products delays constitutive neutrophil apoptosis, resulting in a prolonged inflammatory response. We showed previously that Akt exists in a signaling complex with p38 MAPK, MAPK-activated protein kinase-2 (MAPKAPK-2), and heat shock protein-27 (Hsp27); and Hsp27 dissociates from the complex upon neutrophil ac...

We recently identified heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) as an estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta)-associated protein and noted its role as a biomarker for atherosclerosis. The current study tests the hypothesis that HSP27 is protective against the development of atherosclerosis. HSP27 overexpressing (HSP27o/e) mice were crossed to apoE-/- mice that develop atherosclerosis when fed a high-fat diet. Aor...

AIMS Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) renders cardioprotection from ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, but little is known about its role in myofilaments. We proposed that increased expression of Hsp27 may improve post-ischaemic contractile dysfunction by preventing I/R-induced cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and troponin T (cTnT) degradation. METHODS AND RESULTS Adenovirus-mediated Hsp27 overexpress...

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27, HSPB1) is an anti-apoptotic protein characterized for its tumorigenic and metastatic properties, and now referenced as a major therapeutic target in many types of cancer. The biochemical properties of HSP27 rely on a structural oligomeric and dynamic organization that is important for its chaperone activity. Down-regulation by small interfering RNA or inhibition wi...

Hsp27 belongs to the heat shock protein family and displays chaperone properties in stress conditions by holding unfolded polypeptides, hence avoiding their inclination to aggregate. Hsp27 is often referenced as an anti-cancer therapeutic target, but apart from its well-described ability to interfere with different stresses and apoptotic processes, its role in non-stressed conditions is still n...

Heat shock protein 27 (hsp27) belongs to the family of heat shock proteins and is thought to be involved in thermotolerance, cell proliferation, drug resistance, and chaperone processes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hsp27 levels are correlated with clinical outcome in axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer patients. We describe a Western blot study measuring hsp27 levels...