How Cells Protect Themselves From Stress

Photo of Kevin Sarge
Kevin Sarge

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2005) -- A study by Kevin Sarge, professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry at the University of Kentucky, has shed new light on how cells protect themselves from stress.

The study, published in the prestigious journal Science, found that a protein called HSF2 increases the ability of cells to express, or “turn on,” the protective protein called hsp70i. Sarge demonstrated that lowering HSF2 levels reduces a cell’s ability to turn on the protective protein when placed under stressful conditions such as elevated temperature.

The decrease in the expression of the protective protein was associated with a significant increase in cell death. Increased cell death can result in a more rapid aging process, or in severe cases even death of a person. These findings provide new insight into how cells protect themselves from stress and preserve human health.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Co-authors, all based at UK at the time of the research, include Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department’s Hongyan Xing, research associate; Chad Wilkerson, postdoctoral scholar; Christopher Mayhew, former postdoctoral scholar; Eric Lubert, former graduate student; Michael Goodson, former graduate student; Yiling Hong, former postdoctoral scholar; and Hollie Skaggs, graduate student in toxicology, and Ok-Kyong Park-Sarge, associate professor of physiology.

The complete paper appears in the Jan. 21, 2005, issue of Science.