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Pediatric Sepsis - Part V: Extracellular Heat Shock Proteins: Alarmins for the Host Immune System

John S Giuliano1, Patrick M Lahni2, Hector R Wong3

  • 1Division of Critical Care Medicine, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine; New Haven, CT.

The Open Inflammation Journal
|April 26, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) function intracellularly but extracellular HSPs act as danger signals. These extracellular heat shock proteins activate immune responses and are key danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) in sepsis.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Immunology
  • Cellular Stress Response

Background:

  • Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are crucial intracellular chaperones maintaining cellular homeostasis and survival.
  • Emerging evidence highlights significant extracellular roles for HSPs.
  • Extracellular HSPs are released from stressed cells, signaling danger to surrounding cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the extracellular functions of HSPs.
  • To investigate the role of extracellular HSPs as danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) or alarmins.
  • To assess the relevance of extracellular HSPs in the pathophysiology of sepsis.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on HSP functions.
  • Analysis of research on extracellular HSP release and signaling.
  • Examination of HSPs as DAMPs in the context of tissue injury and sepsis.

Main Results:

  • Extracellular HSPs function as local danger signals, initiating stress responses in neighboring cells.
  • Extracellular HSPs activate both innate and adaptive immune responses.
  • Several HSPs, including Hsp72, Hsp27, Hsp90, Hsp60, and Hsp10, are identified as potential DAMPs relevant to sepsis.

Conclusions:

  • Extracellular HSPs play a critical role beyond their intracellular chaperone functions.
  • HSPs released during cellular stress act as potent immune activators and DAMPs.
  • Extracellular HSPs are significant contributors to the inflammatory processes in sepsis.

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