title: Expression of small heat shock protein alphaB-crystallin is induced after hepatic stellate cell activation.
abstract: Using the differential PCR display method to select cDNA fragments that are differentially expressed after hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, we have isolated from activated HSCs a cDNA that corresponds to rat alphaB-crystallin. Northern blots confirmed expression of alphaB-crystallin in culture-activated HSCs but not in quiescent HSCs. Western blot analysis and immunocytochemical staining confirmed expression of alphaB-crystallin protein in activated but not quiescent HSCs. alphaB-crystallin is induced as early as 6 h after plating HSCs on plastic and continues to be expressed for 14 days in culture. Expression of alphaB-crystallin was also induced in vivo in activated HSCs from experimental cholestatic liver fibrosis. Confocal microscopy demonstrated a cytoplasmic distribution of alphaB-crystallin in a cytoskeletal pattern. Heat shock treatment resulted in an immediate perinuclear redistribution that in time returned to a normal cytoskeletal distribution. The expression pattern of alphaB-crystallin was similar to that of HSP25, another small heat shock protein, but differed from the classic heat shock protein HSP70. Therefore, alphaB-crystallin represents an early marker for HSC activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Schrum
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schoonhoven
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuvia
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Solís-Herruzo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Rippe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003459:Crystallins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger