The heat shock proteins (HSPs) comprise a group of highly conserved, abundantly expressed proteins with diverse functions, which include the assembly and sequestering of multiprotein complexes, transportation of nascent polypeptide chains across cellular membranes and regulation of protein folding. Heat shock proteins (also known as molecular chaperones) fall into six general families: HSP 90, HSP 70, HSP 60, the low molecular weight HSPs, the immunophilins and the HSP 110 family. The HSP 110 family (also known as the HSP 105 family) is composed of HSP 105, Apg-1 and Apg-2.
