[Stress proteins: expression of a universal phenomenon of cell defense]

Heat shock proteins or stress proteins play a role in adaptative thermotolerance. All cells, procaryotic and eucaryotic, are able to respond to different cellular aggressions by the synthesis of these stress proteins. In normal physiological conditions, they are considered as "molecular chaperones" Their actual role in pathology is still unknown; some of these heat shock proteins may be correlated with the degree of aggressiveness of some tumors.