Hsp72 overexpression protects from drug-induced- and lipotoxic liver injury

Introduction: Heat shock protein (Hsp) 72 is a molecular chaperone that is upregulated in a response to a variety of stress situations and possesses broad cytoprotective functions. The hepatic function of Hsp72 remains largely unknown. Aims & methodology: To study the importance of Hsp72 in the liver, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing Hsp72 under the control of a tissue-specific tetracycline-inducible system and crossed them with animals carrying the tetracycline-responsive transactivator under the control of the liver activator protein promoter (Hsp72-LAP mice). Acute liver injury was induced by a sin…