The heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) family are a group of chaperones involved in various cellular processes including protein folding and protein degradation. In addition to maintaining normal cellular homeostasis by processing newly synthesized protein, the Hsp70 family is also important in controlling intracellular signaling pathways by regulating the folding and activity of signaling proteins. The various groups within the Hsp70 family are characterized by their expression levels, activities, and subcellular localization (1).
