CHEMICAL STRESS DOES NOT INDUCE HEAT-SHOCK-PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN LEISHMANIA-DONOVANI

The cellular heat shock response in kinetoplastid protozoa is regulate d exclusively at a post-transcriptional level. The heat-inducibility o f heat shock protein synthesis is retained under actinomycin C-1 which indicates an inducible translation of heat shock mRNAs. We have also assessed the ability of various chemicals known to be effective trigge rs of the heat shock response in higher eukaryotes to induce heat shoc k protein synthesis in Leishmania donovani. None of the tested chemica ls elicited a stress response. We propose that the lack of transcripti on regulation in the kinetoplastida precludes a stress response under chemical stress.