Expression of the major heat shock proteins DnaK and GroEL in Streptococcus pyogenes: A comparison to Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus

One of the outstanding problems in the field of heat shock response has bee n to elucidate the mechanism underlying the induction of heat shock protein s (HSPs). In this work, we initiate an analysis of the expression of heat s hock groEL and dnaK genes and their promoters in S. pyogenes. The synthesis of total cellular proteins was studied upon transfer of a log-phase cultur e from 37 degreesC to 42 degreesC by performing 5-min pulse-labeling experi ments with S-35-Met. The heat shock responses in the pathogenic Gram-positi ve cocci, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus, were also analyz ed.