CONSTITUTIVE SYNTHESIS OF HEAT-SHOCK-PROTEIN (72 KD) IN HUMAN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR-CELLS - IMPLICATIONS FOR USE AS A CLINICAL-TEST OF RECENT THERMAL-STRESS

There is no clinical laboratory marker to enhance the diagnosis of rec ent thermal stress in humans. The 72 kD heat shock protein, HSP 72, wh ich is rapidly synthesized after heat stress could be useful in the di agnosis of illnesses associated with heat stress. In humans HSP, 72 is rapidly synthesized after thermal stress; however, conflicting data s uggest it may also undergo low level constitutive synthesis. If HSP 72 is constitutively synthesized, a semi-quantitative test will be neces sary to detect recent heat stress; if not, a qualitative test would be sufficient. peripheral blood mononucler cells were chosen for this in vestigation because they can be isolated from a small sample (clinical ly acceptable) of blood. Following heat stress Western analysis and au toradiography of one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis samples demo nstrated low levels of HSP 72 in unstressed cells. HSP 72 increased wi th heat stress, and remained elevated for up to 48 h. HSP 72 mRNA was detectable in small amounts in nonheat stressed cells. Heat stress inc reased HSP 72 mRNA 1 and 2 h after stress and remained elevated for 6 h. HSP 72 persists long enough to be potentially useful as a diagnosti c probe of recent heat injury; however, a semi-quantitative assay will be necessary.