HEAT-SHOCK PROTEIN HSP70 OVEREXPRESSION CONFERS RESISTANCE AGAINST NITRIC-OXIDE

Heat stress is known to render rat islet cells resistant against the t oxic effects of nitric oxide, reactive oxygen intermediates and the is let cell toxin streptozotocin, We report here for the first time that protection against nitric oxide is mediated by the major heat shock pr otein, hsp70, even in the absence of heat stress, The human hsp70 gene was stably transfected into the rat insulinoma cell line RINm5F, Cons titutive expression of hsp70 caused protection from NO-induced cell ly sis which was of the same extent as seen after heat stressing cells, O ur results identify hsp70 as a defence molecule against nitric oxide.