Heat Shock and Development

The possible roles of heat shock proteins in normal develop- ment in animals, plants and model systems and the effects microorganisms and the effects of elevated temperature on developmental programs are comprehensively treated. All re- levant aspects of heat shock genes in normal and abnormal development are covered all of the major biological systems currently used to study the developmental biology of heat s- hock genes included. Heat is a medically significant terato- gen in humans and (other) animals. The heat shock response itself is developmentally regulated and is likely to be pro- tective in the developingembryo. In addition to roles in stress responses, heat shock genes are differentially ex- pressed during normal development in germ tissues and fur- ther in the specialized cell types of somatic tissues such as the mammalian brain. Heat shock genes are regulated du- ring the cell cycle and heat shock promoters are being used in ectopic expression systems to study the functions of particular genes during development.