Heat shock proteins (HSPs) constitute a major part of the molecular chaperone system and play a fundamental role in cell proteostasis. The HSPA (HSP70) family groups twelve highly homologous HSPA proteins. Certain HSPAs are regarded as important cancer-related proteins, prospective therapeutic targets for cancer treatment, and also as potential cancer biomarkers. Heat Shock Protein A2 (HSPA2), a testis-enriched chaperone and one of the least characterized members of the HSPA family, has recently emerged as an important cancer-relevant protein with potential biomarker significance. Nevertheless, conflicting conclusions have been recently drawn both according to HSPA2 role in cancer cells, as well as to its prognostic value. In this work we have shown that one of the serious limitations in HSPA2 protein research is cross-reactivity of antibodies marketed as specific for HSPA2 with one or more other HSPA(s). Among non-specific antibodies were also those recently used for HSPA2 detection in functional and biomarker studies. We showed how using non-specific antibodies can generate misleading conclusions on HSPA2 expression in non-stressed cancer cells and tumors, as well as in cancer cells exposed to proteotoxic stress. Our findings addressed concerns on some published studies dealing with HSPA2 as a cancer-related protein.
Keywords: HSPA2; antibody specificity; cancer biomarker; heat shock protein family A; immunohistochemistry; proteotoxic stress.