Abstract:
Macrophages are key players in the immune system. They play major roles in
pathogen clearance, antigen presentation and wound healing, with primary
function in phagocytosis and cytokines secretion. Upon infection when
phagocytosis and cytokines production are manifold, heat shock protein 70
(HSP70), a molecular chaperone are upregulated robustly. The role of
endogenous HSP70 in regards with macrophages activities was explored
herein. For analyzing the protein expression pattern, macrophages were
challenged with different zymosan concentrations at 1, 3 and 6 hours. HSP70
was knocked out using RNAi technique for examining its effects on macrophage
functions, specifically, phagocytosis and nitric oxide secretion, which were
measured by fluorescent microscopy and spectrophotometric method
respectively. HSP70 inhibition affected microtubules that were detected using
immunostaining. HSP70 was increased in response to exposure time but not
zymosan concentration.
