Heat Shock Protein 60 in Skin Diseases

Abstract

In addition to serving as a stress regulatory/response protein, heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) also plays important roles in disease mechanism and progression. This chapter summarizes all aspects of the current knowledge on Hsp60 related to various skin diseases, including acne, atopic dermatitis (AD), dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), vasculitis, Behcet's disease (BD), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), systemic sclerosis (SSc), dermatomyositis, lichen planus (LP), and psoriasis. The data have shown that not only human Hsp60 but also its homologs in bacteria or microbes (e.g., GroEL) are involved in immune response and inflammatory cascade of these skin diseases. Furthermore, Hsp60 expression is also associated with severity of some diseases. Therefore, Hsp60 can be considered as a potential target for future development of a useful biomarker for diagnostics and prognostics in skin diseases. Moreover, it may also serve as a new therapeutic target for better treatment outcome.