Heat shock

You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.

Heat shock proteins are a part of the cell's internal repair mechanism. They are also called stress-proteins. They respond to heat, cold and oxygen deprivation by activating several cascade pathways.

Heat shock proteins are also present in cells under perfectly normal conditions. They act like ‘chaperones,’ making sure that the cell’s proteins are in the right shape and in the right place at the right time. For example, HSPs help new or distorted proteins fold into shape, which is essential for their function. They also shuttle proteins from one compartment to another inside the cell, and transport old proteins to ‘garbage disposals’ inside the cell. Heat shock proteins are also believed to play a role in the presentation of pieces of proteins (or peptides) on the cell surface to help the immune system recognize diseased cells.

In biochemistry, applying a heat shock means subjecting cells to a higher temperature than the ideal body temperature of the organism from which the cell line was derived. For instance, in fish that survive at 0^oC, heat shock can be induced with temperatures as high as 5^oC, whereas thermophilic bacteria that proliferate at 50^oC will not express heat shock proteins until temperatures reach approximately 60^oC [1]. The process of heat shocking can be done in a CO₂ incubator, O₂ incubator, or a hot water bath.

Also, heat shock is a method in which genes can be introduced into cells via a vector. This is done by mixing the vector with competent bacteria in an eppendorf tube. First, the tube is cooled to a low temperature for several minutes, usually with an ice bath. The tube is then quickly moved into warm water, preferably around 40 degrees Celsius. This sudden change in temperature causes the pores to open up to larger sizes, allowing DNA molecules to enter. After a brief interval, the tube is quickly cooled to a low temperature again. This closes up the pores, and traps the DNA inside. With this, the cells would have been transformed. However, it must be noted that, as with almost all transformation techniques, this method is far from 100% efficient.

Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content

Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .