HEAT-SHOCK RESPONSE IN CAMEL (CAMELUS-DROMEDARIUS) BLOOD-CELLS AND ADAPTATION TO HYPERTHERMIA

1. We demonstrate the difference between the reactions of camel (Camel us dromedarius) lymphocytes and erythrocytes to heat-shock treatment. 2. Lymphocytes of this organism characteristically have a higher resis tance of general protein synthesis to elevated temperature in comparis on with human lymphocytes. 3. Camel lymphocytes exhibited strong induc tion of constitutively expressed 73 kDa heat-shock protein (hsp 73) af ter heat-shock but failed to synthesize an inducible member of the sam e family (hsp 72) at high temperatures. 4. Nucleated camel erythrocyte s do not synthesize any heat-shock proteins after temperature elevatio n. 5. Western blot analysis, using polyclonal antibody for hsp 73, rev ealed high levels of this protein in camel lymphocytes and diminished, but significant, amounts of hsp 73 protein in the erythrocytes under normal physiological conditions. 6. The role of 73 kDa hsp in providin g thermotolerance of camel blood cells is discussed.