Hsp70 reduces the sensitivity of tumor cells to therapy

The research team from the Translational Oncology Research Department of the WCRC for Personalized Medicine studied the new activity of the heat shock protein Hsp70. The special feature of this protein is that it selectively accumulates only in the membranes of tumor cells, whereas it is not found in healthy cells. Because of its unique three-dimensional structure, the protein is able to bind to specific lipid molecules (part of the wall of every cell in the body), integrate into the tumor cell membrane and alter its biophysical properties – increasing lipid packing density and reducing membrane thickness. This rearrangement of the cell wall, called interdigitation, occurs in a limited area of the membrane (domain) and plays an important role in the vital activity and functioning of cells. An increase in membrane rigidity due to the presence of Hsp70 leads to a change in the processes by which substances are transported across the membrane, which in turn affects the sensitivity of cells to chemotherapy drugs.

The results obtained suggest that Hsp70 is involved in the development of tumor cell resistance to therapy. A detailed analysis of the role of Hsp70-induced interdigitation in tumor pathogenesis opens up the prospect for developing new targeted anti-tumor agents.