HSP70: Family Members

The HSP70 family of heat shock proteins consists of molecular chaperones of approximately 70 kDa in size. All eukaryotes as well as the prokaryote E. coli express more than one gene encoding HSP70 proteins. For instance, E. coli K-12 harbors three HSP70 genes. The human HSP70 family consists of 13 members whereas the fungus Blastocladiella emersonii expresses ten putative HSP70s with high homology to the HSP70s from S. cerevisiae ²². The yeast S. cerevisiae contains eight Hsp70 homologs, of which seven are localized in the cytosol and one in mitochondria. A detailed description of pro- and eukaryotic HSP70 family members is given in Table 2 and the following page.