Skip to main content

Effects of chronic heat stress on the expressions of heat shock proteins 60, 70, 90, A2, and HSC70 in the rabbit testis

Cell Stress and Chaperones volume 17, pages 81–87 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Few studies have focused on the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) after chronic heat stress. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic high temperature–humidity index treatment on the expressions of HSP60, HSP70, HSP90, HSPA2 and HSC70, in the Rex rabbit testis and the expressions of these proteins after recovery from the chronic heat shock. Thirty mature male rabbits of the same age were randomly divided into three groups: control, heat stress, and recovery. The western blot results showed that the expressional levels of HSP60, HSP90, and HSC70 increased significantly and HSPA2 was elevated slightly after a 9-week heat treatment. HSP70 was absent in the control testis and had a high level of expression after heat stress. All of these proteins partially reverted back to normal levels after a 9-week recovery. The immunohistochemical results indicated that the expression patterns of HSP60, HSP90, HSPA2, and HSC70 did not change.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Abbreviations

HSP:

Heat shock protein

THI:

Temperature–humidity index

HSC:

Heat shock cognate protein

CON:

Control

HS:

Heat stress

RE:

Heat stress recovery

IHC:

Immunohistochemistry

References

  • Adly MA, Assaf HA, Hussein MR (2008) Heat shock protein 27 expression in the human testis showing normal and abnormal spermatogenesis. Cell Biol Int 32:1247–1255

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker J, Craig EA (1994) Heat-shock proteins as molecular chaperones. Eur J Biochem 219:11–23

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernardini C, Fantinati P, Zannoni A, Forni M, Tamanini C, Bacci ML (2004) Expression of HSP70/HSC70 in swine blastocysts: effects of oxidative and thermal stress. Mol Reprod Dev 69:303–307

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biggiogera M, Tanguay RM, Marin R, Wu Y, Martin TE, Fakan S (1996) Localization of heat shock proteins in mouse male germ cells: an immunoelectron microscopical study. Exp Cell Res 229:77–85

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown CR, Martin RL, Hansen WJ, Beckmann RP, Welch WJ (1993) The constitutive and stress inducible forms of hsp70 exhibit functional similarities and interact with one another in an ATP-dependent fashion. J Cell Biol 120:1101–1112

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bukau B, Horwich AL (1998) The Hsp70 and Hsp60 chaperone machines. Cell 92:351–366

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao W, Huang P, Zhang L, Wu HZ, Zhang J, Shi FX (2009) Acute heat stress increases HSP70 expression in the testis, epididymis and vas deferens of adult male mice. Nat J Androl 15:200–206

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen MS, Featherstone T, Laszlo A (1996) Amplification and altered expression of the hsc70/U14 snoRNA gene in a heat resistant Chinese hamster cell line. Cell Stress Chaperones 1:47–61

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cvoro A, Matić G (2000) Glucocorticoid receptor interaction with Hsp90 remains unaltered after whole body hyperthermia. Stress 3:257–260

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eddy EM (1999) Role of heat shock protein HSP70–2 in spermatogenesis. Rev Reprod 4:23–30

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng HL, Sandlow JI, Sparks AE (2001) Decreased expression of the heat shock protein hsp70-2 is associated with the pathogenesis of male infertility. Fertil Steril 76:1136–1139

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao J, Gao ES, Yang Q, Walker M, Wu JQ, Zhou WJ, Wen SW (2007) Semen quality in a residential, geographic and age representative sample of healthy Chinese men. Hum Reprod 22:477–484

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Georgopoulos C, Welch WJ (1993) Role of the major heat shock proteins as molecular chaperones. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 9:601–634

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grad I, Cederroth CR, Walicki J, Grey C, Barluenga S, Winssinger N, de Massy B, Nef S, Picard D (2010) The molecular chaperone hsp90α is required for meiotic progression of spermatocytes beyond pachytene in the mouse. PLoS One 5:e15770

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang HC, Lee WC, Lin JH, Huang HW, Jian SC, Mao SJT, Yang PC, Huang TY, Liu YC (1999) Molecular cloning and characterization of porcine cDNA encoding a 90-kDa heat shock protein and its expression following hyperthermia. Gene 226:307–315

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin KM, Lin B, Lian IY, Mestril R, Scheffler I, Dillmann WH (2001) Combined and individual mitochondrial HSP60 and HSP10 expression in cardiac myocytes protects mitochondrial function and prevents apoptotic cell deaths induced by simulated ischemia-reoxygenation. Circulation 103:1787–1792

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Wang G, Pan Y, Zhu C (2004) Expression of androgen receptor and heat shock protein 90alpha in the testicular biopsy specimens of infertile patients with spermatogenic arrest. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue 10:662–666

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marai IFM, Ayyat MS, Abd El-Monem UM (2001) Growth performance and reproductive traits at first parity of New Zealand white female rabbits as affected by heat stress and its alleviation under Egyptian conditions. Trop Animal Health Prod 33:451–462

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marai IFM, Habeeb AAM, Gad AE (2002) Rabbits' productive, reproductive and physiological performance traits as affected by heat stress: a review. Livest Prod Sci 78:71–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meinhardt A, Parvinen M, Bacher M, Aumuller G, Hakovirta H, Yagi A, Seitz J (1995) Expression of mitochondrial heat shock protein 60 in distinct cell types and defined stages of rat seminiferous epithelium. Biol Reprod 52:798–807

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosser DD, Caron AW, Bourget L, Meriin AB, Sherman MY, Morimoto RI, Massi B (2000) The chaperone function of hsp70 is required for protection against stress-induced apoptosis. Mol Cell Biochem 20:7146–7159

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neuer A, Spandorfer SD, Giraldo P, Dieterle S, Rosenwaks Z, Witkin SS (2000) The role of heat shock proteins in reproduction. Hum Reprod Update 6:149–159

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oishi Y, Taniguchi K, Matsumoto H, Ishihara A, Ohira Y, Roy RR (2002) Muscle type-specific response of HSP60, HSP72, and HSC73 during recovery after elevation of muscle temperature. J Appl Physiol 92:1097–1103

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ścieglińska D, Wojciech P, Mazurek A, Małusecka E, Zebracka J, Filipczak P, Krawczyk Z (2008) The HspA2 protein localizes in nucleoli and centrosomes of heat shocked cancer cells. J Cell Biochem 104:2193–2206

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Son WY, Hwang SH, Han CT, Lee JH, Kim S, Kim YC (1999) Specific expression of heat shock protein HspA2 in human male germ cells. Mol Hum Reprod 5:1122–1126

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sreedhar AS, Csermely P (2004) Heat shock proteins in the regulation of apoptosis: new strategies in tumor therapy—a comprehensive review. Pharmacol Ther 101:227–257

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tao SX, Guo J, Zhang XS, Li YC, Hu ZY, Han CS, Liu YX (2006) Germ cell apoptosis induced by experimental cryptorchidism is mediated by multiple molecular pathways in Cynomolgus Macaque. Front Biosci 11:1077–1089

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viitanen PV, Lorimer GH, Seetharam R, Gupta RS, Oppenheim J, Thomas JO, Cowan NJ (1992) Mammalian mitochondrial chaperonin 60 functions as a single toroidal ring. J Biol Chem 267:695–698

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vydra N, Winiarski B, Rak-Raszewska A, Piglowski W, Mazurek A, Scieglinska D, Widlak W (2009) The expression pattern of the 70-kDa heat shock protein Hspa2 in mouse tissues. Histochem Cell Biol 132:319–330

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegele H, Haslbeck M, Reinstein J, Buchner J (2003) Sti1 is a novel activator of the Ssa proteins. J Biol Chem 278:25970–25976

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welch WJ (1993) Heat shock proteins functioning as molecular chaperones: their roles in normal and stressed cells. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 339:327–333

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner A, Meinhardt A, Seitz J, Bergmann M (1997) Distribution of heat-shock protein 60 immunoreactivity in testes of infertile men. Cell Tissue Res 288:539–544

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Widłak W (2006) The heat shock response and HSP70 gene expression in male germ cells. Postepy Biochem 52:289–295

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wu C (1995) Heat shock transcription factors: structure and regulation. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 11:441–469

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu YJ, Pei YL, Qin YH (2011) Developmental expression of heat shock proteins 60, 70, 90, and A2 in rabbit testis. Cell Tissue Res 344:355–363

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaprjanova S, Rashev P, Zasheva D, Martinova Y, Mollova M (2011) Electrophoretic analysis of Hsp72 and Hsp73 expression in male reproductive tissues. CR Acad Bulg Sci 64:529–534

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang XS, Lue YH, Guo SH, Yuan JX, Hu ZY, Han CS, Sinha Hikim AP, Swerdloff RS, Wang C, Liu YX (2005) Expression of Hsp105 and Hsp60 during germ cell apoptosis in the heat-treated testes of adult cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Front Biosci 10:3110–3121

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou XC, Han XB, Hu ZY, Zhou RJ, Liu YX (2001) Expression of Hsp70-2 in unilateral cryptorchid testis of rhesus monkey during germ cell apoptosis. Endocrine 16:89–95

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Earmarked Fund for Modern Agro-Industry Technology Research System (CARS-44) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (31001009).

Author information

Affiliations

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Yangli Pei, Yingjie Wu & Yinghe Qin

Authors
  1. Yangli Pei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yingjie Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yinghe Qin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yinghe Qin.

Additional information

Yangli Pei and Yingjie Wu contributed equally to this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pei, Y., Wu, Y. & Qin, Y. Effects of chronic heat stress on the expressions of heat shock proteins 60, 70, 90, A2, and HSC70 in the rabbit testis. Cell Stress and Chaperones 17, 81–87 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-011-0287-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-011-0287-1

Keywords

  • Heat stress
  • Male Rex rabbit
  • Testis
  • HSPs