Although heat shock proteins have been studied for decades, new intracellular and
extracellular functions in a variety of diseases continue to be discovered. Heat shock
proteins function within networks of interacting proteins; they can alter cellular physiology
rapidly in response to stress without requiring new protein synthesis. This review focuses on
the heat shock protein 70 family and considers especially the functions of the inducible
member, heat shock protein 72, in the setting of cerebral ischemia. In general, inhibiting …