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The heat shock protein Hsp20 family, also known as small heat shock proteins (sHSPs), is a family of heat shock proteins.
Prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms respond to heat shock or other environmental stress by inducing the synthesis of proteins collectively known as heat-shock proteins (hsp).[1] Amongst them is a family of proteins with an average molecular weight of 20 kDa, known as the hsp20 proteins.[2] These seem to act as protein chaperones that can protect other proteins against heat-induced denaturation and aggregation. Hsp20 proteins seem to form large heterooligomeric aggregates. Structurally, this family is characterised by the presence of a conserved C-terminal domain, alpha-crystallin domain, of about 100 residues. Recently, small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) were found in marine viruses (cyanophages).[3]
Hsp20, like all heat shock proteins, is in abundance when cells are under stressed conditions.[4] Hsp20 is known to be expressed in many human tissues, including the brain and heart.[5] Hsp20 has been studied extensively in cardiac myocytes and is known to act as a chaperon protein, binding to protein kinase 1 (PDK1) and allowing its nuclear transport.[6] In addition, the phosphorylation of hsp20 has been shown to effect the structure of cells cytoskeletons.[7] Due to hsp20 commonly forming dimers with itself when heated, its function of chaperoning can be greatly affected.[8]
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