ABSTRACT
Heat shock proteins (hsps) were originally identified on the basis of their increased synthesis following exposure to elevated temperatures. This chapter outlines the differential expression patterns of hsps and of autoantibodies to the hsps that have been observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and in the lupus-prone MRL/lpr mouse strain and discusses the clinical relevance of these findings. It has recently been shown that heat stress which results in hsp overexpression can protect cells from apoptosis. In addition, given the surface expression of hsp 90 that we have demonatrated, it is important to identify antibodies to this and other heat shock proteins in patients with lupus. However, it may be that antibodies to other heat shock proteins are linked to different diseases. Taken together, the observations described in this chapter suggest that an important subset of patients with lupus show a striking predisposition to overexpress a particular heat shock protein, hsp 90.
