The XIth International Online Symposium on Heat Shock Proteins in Biology and Medicine : Organizers: Stuart K. Calderwood, Elizabeth Repasky & Len Neckers October 27-29, 2021 IN MEMORIAM: Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada (1941-2021).

Single cell and multicellular organisms encounter physical stress from their environment as well as behavioral stress experienced in more complex organisms. As these stresses can present an existential threat, organisms respond with a coordinated response at the tissue and cellular level, the heat shock response (HSR) and this was the major theme of the symposium. Much of the meeting was concentrated on the heat shock proteins (HSPs), the effector molecules of the response.

The interaction of heat shock proteins with cellular membranes: a historical perspective.

The interaction of heat shock proteins (HSP) with cellular membranes has been an enigmatic process, initially observed by morphological studies, inferred during the purification of HSP70s, and confirmed after the detection of these proteins on the surface of cancer cells and their insertion into artificial lipid bilayers. Today, the association of several HSP with lipid membranes is well established. However, the mechanisms for membrane insertion have been elusive.