Grant: Operating Grant

Cells have developed early during evolution very sophisticated mechanisms to detect, to respond and to adapt to stressful environment. Resistance and adaptation to stress are key factors in the etiology of many human diseases and also in the success of therapies that make use of cytotoxic drugs. The general objective of this research program is to delineate the mechanisms of the mammalian cell response to proteotoxic stress, i.e. stress that affects the integrity of the proteins. We are studying a family of protein, called the HspB family, which have the capacity of chaperoning damaged proteins, detecting their presence, isolating them from the rest of the cells and preparing them for either repair or degradation. A better understanding of the function of these proteins is of utmost importance considering that defects at their structures have already been associated with a number of degenerative diseases in human.