Alpha B-crystallin in cardiac tissue. Association with actin and desmin filaments

ATP-enhanced molecular chaperone functions of the small heat shock protein human alphaB crystallin

We report direct experimental evidence that human alphaB-crystallin, a member of the small heat shock protein family, actively participates in the refolding of citrate synthase (CS) in vitro. In the presence of 3.5 mM ATP, CS reactivation by alphaB-crystallin was enhanced approximately twofold. Similarly, 3.5 mM ATP enhanced the chaperone activity of alphaB-crystallin on the unfolding and aggregation of CS at 45 degrees C. Consistent with these findings, cell viability at 50 degrees C was improved nearly five orders of magnitude in Escherichia coli expressing alphaB-crystallin. SDS/PAGE analysis of cell lysates suggested that alphaB-crystallin protects cells against physiological stress in vivo by maintaining cytosolic proteins in their native and functional conformations. This report confirms the action of alphaB-crystallin as a molecular chaperone both in vitro and in vivo and describes the enhancement of alphaB-crystallin chaperone functions by ATP.

alpha B-crystallin and hsp25 in neonatal cardiac cells--differences in cellular localization under stress conditions

Two members of the small heat shock protein family, alpha B-crystallin and hsp25, occur at high levels in the mammalian heart. To try and understand any differences in functioning, we compared their properties in cultured rat neonatal cardiac myocytes. Both proteins are stress-inducible, but the level of hsp25 is only slightly increased in cultured cardiac myocytes subjected to hyperthermic stress, while alpha B-crystallin levels even remain unchanged. Phosphorylation of alpha B-crystallin and to a lesser extent also of hsp25 is induced after the heat shock. Directly after heat stress, alpha B-crystallin and hsp25 are partly found in detergent-insoluble fractions, representing cytoskeletal/nuclear structures. Additionally, we show by confocal laser scanning microscopy that alpha B-crystallin and hsp25 become associated with sarcomeric structures directly after the heat shock, indicating a cytoskeletal protective function. Four to six hours after the heat shock, both proteins reoccupy their original positions in the cytoplasm again. In contrast to alpha B-crystallin, hsp25 not only translocates to the cytoskeleton but also migrates to positions inside the nucleus. Despite the fact that both proteins are normally part of the same complex, their behavior in neonatal cardiac myocytes appears to be very different. The sarcomeric association of alpha B-crystallin occurs under milder conditions and persists for a longer period of time in comparison with hsp25. Our findings suggest that alpha B-crystallin and hsp25 are both involved in protection of the cytoskeleton during stress situations in the heart, although in different manners. In addition, hsp25 also plays a role inside the nucleus.

Structure-function studies on small heat shock protein oligomeric assembly and interaction with unfolded polypeptides

The small heat shock protein (smHSP) and alpha-crystallin genes encode a family of 12-43-kDa proteins which assemble into large multimeric structures, function as chaperones by preventing protein aggregation, and contain a conserved region termed the alpha-crystallin domain. Here we report on the structural and functional characterization of Caenorhabditis elegans HSP16-2, a 16-kDa smHSP produced only under stress conditions. A combination of sedimentation velocity, size exclusion chromatography, and cross-linking analyses on wild-type HSP16-2 and five derivatives demonstrate that the N-terminal domain but not most of the the C-terminal extension which follows the alpha-crystallin domain is essential for the oligomerization of the smHSP into high molecular weight complexes. The N terminus of HSP16-2 is found to be buried within complexes which can accommodate at least an additional 4-kDa of heterologous sequence per subunit. Studies on the interaction of HSP16-2 with fluorescently-labeled and radiolabeled actin and tubulin reveal that this smHSP possesses a high affinity for unfolded intermediates which form early on the aggregation pathway, but has no apparent substrate specificity. Furthermore, both wild-type and C-terminally-truncated HSP16-2 can function as molecular chaperones by suppressing the thermally-induced aggregation of citrate synthase. Taken together, our data on HSP16-2 and a unique 12.6-kDa smHSP we have recently characterized demonstrate that multimerization is a prerequisite for the interaction of smHSPs with unfolded protein as well as for chaperone activity.

Transient loss of alphaB-crystallin: an early cellular response to mechanical stretch

Human trabecular meshwork (HTM) is distended and stretched with increases in intraocular pressure. During this stretching, there is a rearrangement of actin filaments. The HTM cells express alpha B-crystallin, a small heat shock protein that may have a role in the stabilization and regulation of the cytoskeleton in mammalian cells. The levels of alpha B-crystallin were examined in trabecular meshwork cells after mechanical stretch. Human TM primary cell cultures, plated onto silicone sheets, were subjected to a single 10% linear stretch and samples were prepared at various times after stretch for immunoblotting or Northern blotting. Immunoblots of total protein extracts with antibody specific for alpha B-crystallin detected a 26% decrease of cellular alpha B-crystallin levels within 2 minutes. After 1 hour alpha B-crystallin levels had decreased 90% compared to control cells. The levels of alpha B-crystallin began to recover in cells stretched for 2 hours and returned to initial levels by 24 hours. Northern blots probed with alpha B-crystallin exon III cDNA detected a transcript of 0.65 kb in human TM cells and the levels of the alpha B mRNA remained constant during alpha B-crystallin protein decrease. Later, levels of the 0.65 kb transcript of alpha B-crystallin increased during the cellular recovery. These results suggest that decreased levels of alpha B-crystallin after mechanical stretch were probably not due to transcriptional changes but rather to increased degradation of alpha B-crystallin protein. An increase in mRNA levels may play a role in the recovery of alpha B-crystallin during reorganization of the cytoskeleton and attachment to the substratum. These data raise the possibility of a specific proteolysis of alpha B-crystallin protein in cells after a physiological challenge.

Cyclic nucleotide-dependent vasorelaxation is associated with the phosphorylation of a small heat shock-related protein

Activation of cyclic nucleotide-dependent signaling pathways leads to the relaxation of various smooth muscles. One of the major phosphorylation events associated with cyclic nucleotide-dependent vasorelaxation in bovine trachealis and carotid artery smooth muscle is the phosphorylation of two 20-kDa phosphoproteins with pI values of 5.7 and 5.9 (previously designated pp8 and pp3, respectively). The present studies sought to determine the identities of pp3 and pp8 in vascular smooth muscle. The phosphopeptide maps for the pp8 and pp3 proteins were similar. Preparative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and amino acid sequencing of a peptide fragment of the pp3 protein revealed a sequence identical to a 20-kDa heat shock-related protein (HSP20) previously purified from skeletal muscle. Western blot and immunoprecipitation analysis with anti-HSP20 antibodies demonstrated that the pp3 and pp8 proteins are phosphorylated forms of HSP20. In addition, HSP20 could be phosphorylated in vitro by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and cGMP-dependent protein kinase. These data suggest that the phosphorylation of the heat shock-related protein HSP20 is associated with cyclic nucleotide-dependent relaxation of vascular smooth muscle.

Targeted disruption of the mouse alpha A-crystallin gene induces cataract and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies containing the small heat shock protein alpha B-crystallin

alpha A-crystallin (alpha A) and alpha B-crystallin (alpha B) are among the predominant proteins of the vertebrate eye lens. In vitro, the alpha-crystallins, which are isolated together as a high molecular mass aggregate, exhibit a number of properties, the most interesting of which is their ability to function as molecular chaperones for other proteins. Here we begin to examine the in vivo functions of alpha-crystallin by generating mice with a targeted disruption of the alpha A gene. Mice that are homozygous for the disrupted allele produce no detectable alpha A in their lenses, based on protein gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analysis. Initially, the alpha A-deficient lenses appear structurally normal, but they are smaller than the lenses of wild-type littermates. alpha A-/- lenses develop an opacification that starts in the nucleus and progresses to a general opacification with age. Light and transmission electron microscopy reveal the presence of dense inclusion bodies in the central lens fiber cells. The inclusions react strongly with antibodies to alpha B but not significantly with antibodies to beta- or gamma-crystallins. In addition, immunoblot analyses demonstrate that a significant portion of the alpha B in alpha A-/- lenses shifts into the insoluble fraction. These studies suggest that alpha A is essential for maintaining lens transparency, possibly by ensuring that alpha B or proteins closely associated with this small heat shock protein remain soluble.

Temporospatial expression of the small HSP/alpha B-crystallin in cardiac and skeletal muscle during mouse development

Although the small (22 Kd) heat shock protein/alpha B-crystallin functions as a major structural protein and molecular chaperone in the vertebrate lens, little is known about the protein's role in nonlenticular tissues such as the heart and skeletal muscle. Recent studies have demonstrated that alpha B-crystallin expression is uniquely regulated during myogenesis in vitro. We report here for the first time that the temporal and spatial expression of alpha B-crystallin is similarly regulated in vivo during mouse embryogenesis. Expression of alpha B-crystallin mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization in the primitive heart at 8.5 days postconception (p.c.) and in the myotome of the somites at 10.5 days p.c. This tissue-restricted pattern was corroborated by immunohistochemical studies. alpha B-crystallin mRNA and protein expression were uniform in the developing atria and ventricles without regional differences or gradients. alpha B-crystallin expression was absent in the endocardial cushion, pulmonary trunk, aorta, and endothelium. Examination of muscle precursors revealed expression throughout the dorsoventral aspect of the myotomes and in developing skeletal muscle. Our findings suggest that alpha B-crystallin may serve pivotal roles as a structural protein and a molecular chaperone in myofiber stabilization of metabolically active tissues during early embryogenesis. Thus, early alpha B-crystallin expression in myogenic lineages supports the hypothesis that the putative functions of alpha B-crystallin are coupled to the activation of genetic programs responsible for myogenic differentiation and cardiac morphogenesis.

alpha-crystallin stabilizes actin filaments and prevents cytochalasin-induced depolymerization in a phosphorylation-dependent manner

alpha-crystallin, a major lens protein of approximately 800 kDa with subunits of about 20 kDa has previously been shown to act as a chaperone protecting other proteins from stress-induced damage and to share sequence similarity with small heat-shock proteins, sHsp. It is now demonstrated that this chaperone effect extends to protection of the intracellular matrix component actin. It was found that the powerful depolymerization effect of cytochalasin D could be almost completely blocked by alpha-crystallin, alpha A-crystallin or alpha B-crystallin. However, phosphorylation of alpha-crystallin markedly decreased its protective effect. It is suggested that phosphorylation of alpha-crystallin may contribute to changes in actin structure observed during cellular remodeling that occurs with the terminal differentiation of a lens epithelial cell to a fiber cell and contributes to cellular remodeling in other cell types that contain alpha-crystallin species. This communication presents biochemical evidence clearly demonstrating that alpha-crystallin is involved in actin polymerization-depolymerization dynamics. It is also shown that alpha-crystallin prevented heat-induced aggregation of actin filaments. alpha-crystallin was found to stabilize actin polymers decreasing dilution-induced depolymerization rates up to twofold while slightly decreasing the critical concentration from 0.23 microM to 0.18 microM. Similar results were found with either alpha-crystallin or its purified subunits alpha A-crystallin and alpha B-crystallin. In contrast to the experiments with cytochalasin D, phosphorylation had no effect. There does not appear to be an interaction between alpha-crystallin and actin monomers since the effect of alpha-crystallin in enhancing actin polymerization does not become apparent until some polymerization has occurred. Examination of the stoichiometry of the alpha-crystallin effect indicates that 2-3 alpha-crystallin monomers/actin monomer give maximum actin polymer stabilization.

Glucocorticoids regulate the expression of the stressprotein alpha B-crystallin

alpha B-crystallin is a major component of the eye lens but is also found in many extralenticular tissues. In established fibroblasts it is synthesized in response to stress such as hyperthermia. Here we report that the treatment of NIH3T3 fibroblasts with the synthetic glucocorticoid hormone dexamethasone resulted in the accumulation of substantial amounts of alpha B-crystallin, alpha B-crystallin mRNA accumulated slowly and over a period of many days in response to prolonged hormone treatment. alpha B-crystallin promoter-reporter constructs were hormone responsive. A putative glucocorticoid response element (GRE) within the analysed promoter region could bind the glucocorticoid receptor as revealed from in vitro footprint analysis but is not involved in the hormone-mediated gene activation. Deletions of 5' flanking regions to position -465 relative to the transcription start allowed for full hormone responsiveness. A deletion from -465 to -389 abolish hormone-mediated gene induction. No sequence element closely resembling a classical GRE is present within that hormone-responsive region.

Differential expression of B-crystallin and Hsp27 in skeletal muscle during continuous contractile activity. Relationship to myogenic regulatory factors

AlphaB-crystallin (alphaBC) is a major structural protein (22 kDa) of the ocular lens as well as a bona fide heat shock protein in non-lens tissue. The alphaBC gene is abundantly expressed in tissues with high oxidative capacity, including the heart and type I skeletal muscle fibers, and is regulated by the MyoD family of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors during myogenesis. To test the hypothesis that alphaBC expression may be directly regulated by the demand for oxidative metabolism, we examined the expression of alphaBC and the ancestral-related Hsp27 in rabbit tibialis anterior muscle subjected to continuous low frequency motor nerve stimulation (3 V, 10 Hz). alphaBC mRNA and protein increased within the 1st day of continuous contractile activity (5- and 2.5-fold, respectively) and achieved maximum levels (>20-and 4-fold, respectively) after 21 d of stimulation. Hsp27 mRNA and protein levels also increased with stimulation, but with a less specific and dramatic induction pattern. In agreement with the Northern analysis, in situ hybridization performed on cross sections from tibialis anterior muscle revealed progressively increasing alphaBC transcript signal, localized in a ringlet pattern, from 1 through 21 days of stimulation. Serial sections subjected to myosin immunohistochemistry revealed that alphaBC expression was confined to slow-twitch type I and a subpopulation of fast twitch type II fibers after 1 day but present in nearly all fibers after 21 days of stimulation. Transcript levels of all four myogenic regulatory factors (MyoD, myogenin, myf-5, and MRF4) also increased with stimulation in a pattern temporally similar with alphaBC, suggesting that expression of alphaBC in response to stimulation may, in part, be regulated through myogenic regulatory factor(s) interaction with the canonical E-box element located within the alphaBC promotor. These data demonstrate that expression of the small heat shock protein, alphaBC, is rapidly induced independent of the ancestrally related Hsp27 in a fiber type specific pattern in skeletal muscle subjected to the oxidative stress imposed by continuous contractile activity.

Spatial and temporal activity of the alpha B-crystallin/small heat shock protein gene promoter in transgenic mice

In order to study the spatial and temporal activity of the mouse alpha B-crystallin/small heat shock gene promoter during embryogenesis, we generated mice harboring a transgene consisting of approximately 4 kbp of alpha B-crystallin promoter sequence fused to the Escherichia coli lacZ reporter gene. beta-galactosidase activity was first observed in the heart rudiment of 8.5 days post coitum (d.p.c.) embryos. An identical expression pattern was obtained for the endogenous alpha B-crystallin gene by whole mount in situ hybridization. At 9.5 d.p.c., beta-galactosidase activity was detected in the lens placode, in the myotome of the somites, in Rathke's pouch (future anterior pituitary), and in some regions of oral ectoderm. We also examined the stress inducibility of the alpha B-crystallin promoter in vivo. Injection of sodium arsenite into mice resulted in increased endogenous alpha B-crystallin expression in the adrenal gland and possibly the liver. Our results indicate that visualization of beta-galactosidase activity provides an accurate reflection of endogenous alpha B-crystallin expression and demonstrate that the complex developmental pattern of mouse alpha B-crystallin gene expression is regulated at the transcriptional level. This expression pattern, coupled with the present literature which addresses functions of the protein, suggests a role for the alpha B-crystallin/small heat shock protein in intermediate filament turnover and cellular remodeling which occur during normal development and differentiation.

AlphaB-crystallin protects glial cells from hypertonic stress

AlphaB-crystallin and the small stress protein, heat shock protein of 27 kDa (HSP27), share structural similarities and are coordinately induced by classical stress stimuli. We have recently observed that hypertonic stress produced by high NaCl concentrations selectively induces alphaB-crystallin in glial cells. To examine divergence of the functional properties of these two related proteins, we have constructed stable alphaB-crystallin-expressing glial cell lines from the U-251 MG glioma cells, which are normally deficient in alphaB-crystallin expression but constitutively express HSP27. These transfected cells lines are more resistant to acute hypertonic stress than the parental line from which they were derived. Moreover, the parental line acclimates to stepwise increases in hypertonicity and upregulates endogenous alphaB-crystallin in the process but not HSP27. The overexpression of HSP27 and alphaB-crystallin in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts, a cell line that normally expresses little alphaB-crystallin and no HSP27, does not result in increased survival. This suggests that alphaB-crystallin interacts with cell-type specific mechanisms to aid in protection from hypertonic stress.

Kinetic changes of alpha B crystallin expression in neoplastic cells and syngeneic rat fibroblasts at various subculture stages

Alpha B crystallin, a structural at variable levels, in many extraocular tissues where it plays a protective role in stress conditions. In fact, heat or toxic shocks, as well as pathological states, increase alpha B crystallin levels in many cell types. Here we show that alpha B crystallin expression is also modulated in subcultures of rat fibroblasts and Galliera sarcoma cells. Western blots analysis with anti alpha B crystallin antibodies reveals the presence of the protein in both cell populations, although the kinetic pattern of expression is different. Galliera fibroblasts constitutively express the protein up to the 70th subculture and afterwards the synthesis ceases. On the other hand, Galliera sarcoma cells do not contain alpha B crystallin in the early stages of the culture, but there is a progressive increases between the 20th and 40th cell subculture. Differences also exist concerning the intracellular distribution: alpha B crystallin is diffusely localized in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts while in sarcoma cells it localizes mainly to the perinuclear region. Alpha B crystallin is totally recovered as soluble protein in the supernatants obtained after low speed centrifugation of fibroblast homogenates, while in sarcoma cells a portion of the protein is also recovered in the insoluble pellet. Intracellular pH measurements show an alkaline cytosol in sarcoma cells compared to fibroblasts. Heat shock treatment of fibroblast subcultures constitutively expressing alpha B crystallin induces an over-expression of the protein, while in fibroblasts whose biosynthetic capacity is lost, heat shock is unable to activate the crystallin gene. Correlation between alpha B crystallin expression and proliferative rate shows that highly proliferating fibroblasts do not express alpha B crystallin, while neoplastic cells do.

Hsp70 in myocardial ischaemia

Numerous reports suggest that stress protein accumulation confers protection in various mammalian tissues against differing stresses. The purpose of this article is to review the evidence that stress proteins, in particular hsp70, are able to alter the resistance of the heart to subsequent ischaemic and non-ischaemic injury and to discuss the possible physiological basis for this apparent protection. The possible, though unlikely involvement of heat stress proteins in classical ischaemic preconditioning is addressed as is the possibility of their involvement in a delayed second window of protection.

The expression of alpha B-crystallin in epithelial tumours: a useful tumour marker?

Alpha B-crystallin is a lens protein showing homology with small heat-shock proteins. We have previously demonstrated its expression in non-lenticular normal and diseased human tissues by immunostaining with a polyclonal antibody. In view of the expression seen in normal renal tubular epithelium, we have assessed the immunoreactivity of a variety of epithelial tumours, to determine the usefulness of alpha B-crystallin as a specific renal tumour marker. Carcinomas arising from tissues which normally express alpha B-crystallin, such as colo-rectal and thyroid carcinomas, showed a varying pattern and degree of immunoreactivity. The most consistently positive tumours, however, with typically strong cytoplasmic and cell membrane staining, were renal cell carcinomas, 90 per cent of which showed positive immunoreactivity. This pattern of staining, while not absolutely specific, is a useful aid to the diagnosis of renal carcinoma. When a metastic deposit or a small biopsy is being assessed, anti-alpha B-crystallin may be included in a panel of antibodies, the pattern of staining of which may direct the search for the primary site of the tumour.

Structure and modifications of the junior chaperone alpha-crystallin. From lens transparency to molecular pathology

alpha-Crystallin is a high-molecular-mass protein that for many decades was thought to be one of the rare real organ-specific proteins. This protein exists as an aggregate of about 800 kDa, but its composition is simple. Only two closely related subunits termed alpha A- and alpha B-crystallin, with molecular masses of approximately 20 kDa, form the building blocks of the aggregate. The idea of organ-specificity had to be abandoned when it was discovered that alpha-crystallin occurs in a great variety of nonlenticular tissues, notably heart, kidney, striated muscle and several tumors. Moreover alpha B-crystallin is a major component of ubiquinated inclusion bodies in human degenerative diseases. An earlier excitement arose when it was found that alpha B-crystallin, due to its very similar structural and functional properties, belongs to the heat-shock protein family. Eventually the chaperone nature of alpha-crystallin could be demonstrated unequivocally. All these unexpected findings make alpha-crystallin a subject of great interest far beyond the lens research field. A survey of structural data about alpha-crystallin is presented here. Since alpha-crystallin has resisted crystallization, only theoretical models of its three-dimensional structure are available. Due to its long life in the eye lens, alpha-crystallin is one of the best studied proteins with respect to post-translational modifications, including age-induced alterations. Because of its similarities with the small heat-shock proteins, the findings about alpha-crystallin are illuminative for the latter proteins as well. This review deals with: structural aspects, post-translational modifications (including deamidation, racemization, phosphorylation, acetylation, glycation, age-dependent truncation), the occurrence outside of the eye lens, the heat-shock relation and the chaperone activity of alpha-crystallin.

Alpha-B crystallin in the normal human myocardium and cardiac conducting system

The alpha crystallins are major protein components of the ocular lens and show both structural and functional homology with the family of small heat shock proteins. alpha B crystallin is also present in various extra-lenticular tissues, with a high concentration in cardiac muscle. In this study, the myocardium and conducting system from 15 adult and 25 fetal and infant hearts were examined by immunohistochemistry using a previously characterized antiserum to alpha B crystallin. Contractile myocardium showed moderate staining, with particular localization to Z bands and intercalated discs. Fibres of the sino-atrial and atrio-ventricular nodes and His bundle showed less intense staining than contractile fibres, whereas fibres of the left and right bundle branches showed more intense staining. This distribution is similar to that previously demonstrated for the intermediate filament desmin. This observation, together with currently available evidence, suggests that cardiac alpha B crystallin may play a role in protecting the cytoskeleton during cell stress. For practical purposes, immunostaining with alpha B crystallin greatly facilitates the identification of cardiac conducting fibres.

Dynamic changes in intracellular localization and isoforms of the 27-kD stress protein in human keratinocytes

We have begun to characterize the low molecular weight, 27-kD heat shock or stress protein (HSP27) in normal keratinocytes and in HaCaT, a spontaneously transformed keratinocyte line. The presence and location of HSP27 was determined by indirect immunofluorescence on fixed whole cells and immunoblot analysis of cytosolic, membrane, nuclear, and cytoskeletal cell fractions. HSP27 is localized throughout the cytoplasm of cells at 37 degrees C. After heating at 42 degrees C, there is a rapid (within 10 min) increase in nuclear HSP27. Two-dimensional gel analysis of whole cell HaCaT lysates identified multiple isoforms of HSP27 with different isoelectric points. The function of HSP27 is largely unknown but its presence throughout the cytoplasm of cells at 37 degrees C, its translocation to the nucleus after cellular stress, and the presence of multiple isoforms suggest a biologic role in both stressed and unstressed human keratinocytes.

Immunohistochemical localisation of the 90, 70 and 25 kDa heat shock proteins in control and caffeine treated rat embryos

Human and animal experimental data demonstrate that in utero exposure to caffeine results in intrauterine growth retardation and long-term behavioural and reproductive effects. We have suggested that the disruption of normal transcription and translation associated with the initiation of the heat shock response may be a possible mechanism of action of caffeine. This hypothesis was investigated using immunohistochemistry to determine whether an acute (3 h) dose of 30 mg/kg caffeine alters the distribution of hsp 90, 70 and 25 in 10.5-12.5 g.d. rat embryos. In the control embryos hsps 90 and 70 were distributed throughout the embryo with no areas of specific accumulation. Hsp 25 was localised to the developing myocardium of 10.5, 11.5 and 12.5 g.d. embryos and the myotome of 11.5 and 12.5 g.d. embryos. The appearance of hsp 25 was correlated with the onset of muscle fibre differentiation and it is suggested that hsp 25 is associated with cytoskeletal proteins. Following dosing with caffeine no change in the distribution of staining for hsp 90, 70 and 25 was found. These results strongly suggest that caffeine's mechanism of action does not involve initiation of the heat shock response.

Alpha B-crystallin expression in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts: glucocorticoid responsiveness and involvement in thermal protection

alpha B-crystallin, a major soluble protein of vertebrate eye lenses, is a small heat shock protein which transiently accumulates in response to heat shock and other kinds of stress in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Ectopic expression of an alpha B-crystallin cDNA clone renders NIH 3T3 cells thermoresistant. alpha B-crystallin accumulates in response to the synthetic glucocorticoid hormone dexamethasone. Dexamethasone-treated NIH 3T3 cells become thermoresistant to the same extent as they accumulate alpha B-crystallin. A cell clone in which alpha B-crystallin is superinduced upon heat shock acquires augmented thermotolerance. Expression of the ras oncogene causes a rapid but transient accumulation of alpha B-crystallin within 1 day. Later, sustained ras oncogene expression suppresses the dexamethasone-mediated alpha B-crystallin accumulation. Thus, oncogenic transformation triggered by the ras oncogene interferes with hormone-mediated accumulation of alpha B-crystallin and concomitant acquisition of thermoresistance. Other known heat shock proteins do not accumulate in response to ectopic alpha B-crystallin expression or to dexamethasone treatment. These results indicate that alpha B-crystallin can protect NIH 3T3 fibroblasts from thermal shock.

Alpha B-crystallin expression in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts: glucocorticoid responsiveness and involvement in thermal protection

alpha B-crystallin, a major soluble protein of vertebrate eye lenses, is a small heat shock protein which transiently accumulates in response to heat shock and other kinds of stress in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Ectopic expression of an alpha B-crystallin cDNA clone renders NIH 3T3 cells thermoresistant. alpha B-crystallin accumulates in response to the synthetic glucocorticoid hormone dexamethasone. Dexamethasone-treated NIH 3T3 cells become thermoresistant to the same extent as they accumulate alpha B-crystallin. A cell clone in which alpha B-crystallin is superinduced upon heat shock acquires augmented thermotolerance. Expression of the ras oncogene causes a rapid but transient accumulation of alpha B-crystallin within 1 day. Later, sustained ras oncogene expression suppresses the dexamethasone-mediated alpha B-crystallin accumulation. Thus, oncogenic transformation triggered by the ras oncogene interferes with hormone-mediated accumulation of alpha B-crystallin and concomitant acquisition of thermoresistance. Other known heat shock proteins do not accumulate in response to ectopic alpha B-crystallin expression or to dexamethasone treatment. These results indicate that alpha B-crystallin can protect NIH 3T3 fibroblasts from thermal shock.

Determination of alpha B crystallin aggregation: a new alternative method to assess ischemic damage of the heart

alpha B crystallin, a heat-shock-like protein, is a major component of the soluble protein fraction of the heart and is thought to play a protective role in stress situations. During an ischemic episode, the cytosol of cardiomyocytes acidifies, thus causing the aggregation of the protein with cytoskeletal elements. After homogenization of the tissue, alpha B crystallin can then be recovered with the insoluble cell components. This study investigated the change of the solubility properties of crystallin in the ischemic heart. The distribution of crystallin in the soluble and insoluble cellular fractions was determined by centrifugation of heart homogenates and immunoblot analysis with anti-alpha B crystallin antibodies. The proportion of aggregated alpha B-crystallin increased in hearts reperfused after total normothermic ischemia of increasing severity. alpha B crystallin aggregation was proportional to the amount of lactate dehydrogenase activity released by the hearts and was inversely correlated to the ability of the hearts to recover contractile activity after the ischemic episode. This study shows that the amount of aggregated crystallin can be used as a new marker for the ischemic damage of the heart. Biopsies of a few milligrams are sufficient for the analysis.