title: Immunocytochemical investigations of heat shock proteins expression during thymic apoptosis induced by glucocorticoids.
abstract: The aim of our study was to investigate a possible expression of different HSPs in rat's thymuses after hydrocortisone administration. The thymuses of 41 young rats (25 to 45 days age old) were studied immunocytochemically: 12 rats were not injected, 8 received an injection of physiological serum, and 21 received HC (125 mg/kg). HSP27, 70 and 110 expression was investigated following the PAP method. HSPs27 were expressed neither in normal thymic lobules nor in the cortical thymic cells after HC injection. HSPs70 were objectivated only in 1 control animal, but were frankly expressed in cortical thymic cells 1 to 48 hours after HC injection and remained significantly expressed until the 7th day after HC injection. HSPs 110 were present in only 1 control animal and appeared to be distinctly expressed 48 hours after HC injection. HSPs 70 and 110 were never expressed in the regenerated thymuses 14 and 21 days after HC injection. This report objectivates for the first time 70 and 110 kDa "stress proteins" expression during the thymic apoptosis induced by glucocorticoids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Electron Microscopy, School of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vanmuylder
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dourov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050957:HSP110 Heat-Shock Proteins; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D050957:HSP110 Heat-Shock Proteins; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; C494655:Hspa4 protein, rat; C486114:Hspb1 protein, rat; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D006854:Hydrocortisone