THE HEAT-SHOCK RESPONSE IN HYDRA - IMMUNOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIP OF HSP60, THE MAJOR HEAT-SHOCK PROTEIN OF HYDRA-VULGARIS, TO THE UBIQUITOUS HSP70 FAMILY

The major heat shock protein (hsp) of Hydra vulgaris has recently been found to be a 60 kDa protein. Since in all organisms studied so far, the major heat shock protein is a 70 kDa protein, we have analyzed the relationship of hydra hsp60 to the highly conserved 70 kDa heat shock protein family. Genes and proteins related to the 70 kDa class of stress proteins are present in hydra. However, antibodies known to cross-react with hsp70 proteins in several different organisms do not cross-react with hydra hsp60 suggesting that hsp60 is not related to the conserved hsp70 proteins.