Heat shock protein 70 expression in different tissues of Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.) following heat stress

Abstract

Members of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) are highly conserved proteins of about 70 kDa and play important roles in protein folding. Levels of these proteins increase when cells are under stress. Environmental temperature influences both the basal and induced levels of HSPs. However, studies on HSPs in fishes from a tropical country such as India are lacking. In the present study, Indian major carp (IMC) Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.) acclimatized at 25 +/- 2 degrees C had high levels of HSP70, viz., 1.2-1.3 ng microgram(-1) total protein in kidney and gill and 4.2-5.3 ng microgram(-1) total protein in liver and brain tissues, indicating the presence of biochemically significant levels of stress. However, maintenance of acclimatized fish at 17 degrees C for up to 48 h did not lead to a significant decrease in stress protein levels. A heat shock at 37 degrees C for up to 48 h resulted in only two to threefold increase in HSP70 levels in these organs. Although the increase in HSP70 levels was apparent from the first hour of heat stress in all these tissues, the increase was significant from the second hour in the brain, the sixth hour in liver and kidney and the 20th hour in the gills.