Heat Shock Protein 27 (Hsp27)

Heat shock protein (HSP) 27 is one of the small HSPs. Like other small heat shock proteins, HSP27 is regulated at both the transcriptional and posttranslational levels . In response to stress, the expression level of HSP27 increases several-fold to confer cellular resistance to the adverse environmental change.

HSP27 is phosphorylated at Ser15, Ser78 and Ser82 by MAPKAP kinase 2 as a result of the activation of the p38 MAP kinase pathway . Phosphorylation of HSP27 causes a change in its tertiary structure, which shifts from large homotypic multimers to dimers and monomers . It has been shown that phosphorylation and increased concentration of HSP27 modulates actin polymerization and reorganization .