Chicken Polyclonal Antibody to HSP60
Cat# CPCA-HSP60

The heat shock proteins were discovered, as the name suggests, since they are heavily upregulated when cells are stressed by temperatures above the normal physiological range. They are expressed in unstressed cells also and have a normal function as chaperones, helping other proteins to fold correctly. The need for chaperones is much greater if a cell or tissue is stressed by heat, and so these proteins become heavily up regulated. The different heat shock proteins were originally named based on their SDS-PAGE mobility, so HSP60 has an apparent molecular weight of 60kDa.  It is an abundant protein in mitochondria and is typically responsible for the transportation and refolding of proteins from the cytoplasm into the mitochondrial matrix. In addition to its role as a heat shock protein, HSP60 plays an important role in the transport and maintenance of mitochondrial proteins as well as the transmission and replication of mitochondrial DNA (3,4). HSP60 has been implicated in the initiation and/or progression of some subtypes of cardiovascular disease (CVD), implying its potential as a biomarker with applications for diagnosis, assessing prognosis and response to treatment, as well as for preventing and treating CVD (5). HSP60 appears to be unusually immunogenic, frequently generating autoantibodies in humans and other species (e.g. 6). The HSP60 protein presumably released from damaged or degenerated cells is also a strong inducer of the innate immune system (7).
Our original monoclonal antibody to HSP60 MCA-1C7 was discovered during screens for antibodies produced by hybridomas from a mouse injected with an unrelated protein. We noted beautiful staining of mitochondria and clean staining of a single band of 60kDa on western blots to another protein, which suggested HSP60 as an obvious candidate. We made recombinant full length human HSP60 which MCA-1C7 bound to strongly. The mouse had likely developed autoantibodies to HSP60 since this molecule appears to unusually immunogenic, frequently generating autoantibodies in humans and other species (6). The recombinant protein was then used to generate polyclonal rabbit anti HSP60 RPCA-HSP60 and this chicken polyclonal antibody to HSP60. Like MCA-1C7, these antibodies are excellent markers of mitochondria and recognize HSP60 cleanly on western blots. The antibody also identifies metabolically active cells in IHC, see data under the “Additional Info” tab. Mouse select image at left for larger view.