The "HSF connection": Pleiotropic regulation and activities of Heat Shock Factors shape pathophysiological brain development.
Abstract
The Heat Shock Factors (HSFs) have been historically identified as a family of transcription factors that are activated and work in a stress-responsive manner, after exposure to a large variety of stimuli. However, they are also critical in normal conditions, in a life long manner, in a number of physiological processes that encompass gametogenesis, embryonic development and the integrity of adult organs and organisms. The importance of such roles is emphasized by the devastating impact of their deregulation on health, ranging from reproductive failure, neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer, and aging pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we provide an overview of the delicate choreography of the regulation of HSFs during neurodevelopment, at prenatal and postnatal stages. The regulation of HSFs acts at multiple layers and steps, and comprises the control of (i) HSF mRNA and protein levels, (ii) HSF activity in terms of DNA-binding and transcription, (iii) HSF homo- and hetero-oligomerization capacities, and (iv) HSF combinatory set of post-translational modifications. We also describe how these regulatory mechanisms operate in the normal developing brain and how their perturbation impact neurodevelopment und...Continue Reading
References
Heat shock response and protein degradation: regulation of HSF2 by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
Brain abnormalities, defective meiotic chromosome synapsis and female subfertility in HSF2 null mice
Mutant DNA-binding domain of HSF4 is associated with autosomal dominant lamellar and Marner cataract
Maintenance of olfactory neurogenesis requires HSF1, a major heat shock transcription factor in mice
Citations
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Brain Aging
Here is the latest research on intrinsic and extrinsic factors, as well as pathways and mechanisms that underlie aging in the central nervous system.