Heat shock proteins in anti-infectious defence and organs protection

Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved throughout evolution and evoke great interest both in basic biology and in medicine. In addition to molecular chaperoning, Hsps exerts modulatory effects on leukocytes involved in inflammatory networks. Hsp70 residing in the intracellular compartment is part of an inhibitory feedback loop that acts on nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB). Hsps limits intensity of acute inflammation and organs dysfunction. In contrast, extracellular Hsp70 is recognized by multiple germline-encoded immune receptors. Hsp70 is thereby able to enhance activity of innate immune cells and stimulate antigen-specific responses. These apparent contradictory pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of intracellular and extracellular Hsp70 in the context of autoregulation protective inflammation and clearance pathogen are still not fully understood.