Chemical Stress does not Induce Heat Shock Protein Synthesis in Leishmania donovani

The cellular heat shock response in kinetoplastid protozoa is regulated exclusively at a post-transcriptional level. The heat-inducibility of heat shock protein synthesis is retained under actinomycin C(1) which indicates an inducible translation of heat shock mRNAs. We have also assessed the ability of various chemicals known to be effective triggers of the heat shock response in higher eukaryotes to induce heat shock protein synthesis in Leishmania donovani. None of the tested chemicals elicited a stress response. We propose that the lack of transcription regulation in the kinetoplastida precludes a stress response under chemical stress.