Chaperone proteins: universal roles in surviving environmental stress

Abstract

Chaperone proteins have crucial roles to play in all animal species and are involved in mediating both the folding of newly synthesized peptides into their mature conformation, the refolding of misfolded proteins, and the trafficking of proteins between subcellular compartments. These highly conserved proteins have particularly important roles to play in dealing with disruptions of the proteome as a result of environmental stress since abiotic factors, including temperature, pressure, oxygen, water availability, and pollutants can readily disrupt the conformation and/or function of all types of proteins, e.g., enzymes, transporters, and structural proteins. The current review provides an update on recent advances in understanding the roles and responses of chaperones in aiding animals to deal with environmental stress, offering new information on chaperone action in supporting survival strategies including torpor, hibernation, anaerobiosis, estivation, and cold/freeze tolerance among both vertebrate and invertebrate species.

Keywords: Anaerobiosis; Estivation; Freeze tolerance; Heat shock proteins; Hibernation.