heat shock protein

noun

variants or heat-shock protein

ˈhēt-ˌshäk- 

plural heat shock proteins or heat-shock proteins

: any of a group of molecular chaperones (see chaperone entry 1 sense 3) that are produced especially in cells subjected to stressful conditions (such as high temperature) and that serve to stabilize proteins and ensure proper assembly and folding of proteins

Examples of heat shock protein in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Intense exercise or heat exposure can be stressful for the body, eliciting an inflammatory response via the release of heat shock proteins. —Sarah Lacy, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2023

Lowers Your Risk for Diabetes Heat exposure triggers the body’s heat shock proteins, which offers many benefits, including improving plasma volume. —Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 8 June 2023

The platelet protein with the largest disparity between active and hibernating bears was heat shock protein 47 (HSP47). —Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 13 Apr. 2023

One of the most colorful examples is heat-shock protein in dromedary camels, which play a role in homeostasis and heat tolerance. —Corinne Purtillstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2022

Diminished expression of heat-shock protein genes in humans could raise the risk of illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, in which the misfolding of proteins is implicated, the researchers report in their paper. —Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 22 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

heat shock protein

noun

variants or heat-shock protein

: any of a group of molecular chaperones that are produced especially in cells subjected to stressful conditions (such as high temperature or changes in pH) and that serve to stabilize proteins and ensure proper assembly and folding of proteins

Normally, heat-shock proteins protect other proteins inside a cell from being damaged by extreme heat or other stress.

—Nathan Seppa, Science News