Protein 'Shocks' Evolution Into Action

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2008) - Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) has a greater
impact on the appearance of new traits than previously expected, according
to two articles published on February 26 in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science (PNAS) by researchers in Whitehead Member Susan
Lindquist's lab and their colleagues in Christine Queitsch's lab at Harvard
University's FAS Center for Systems Biology.

"One of the great mysteries of biology is how life could have evolved so
rapidly," says Lindquist. "This research gives at least one plausible
explanation for the speed of evolution and for the evolution of complex
traits affected by several genes."

HSP90 belongs to a class of proteins called chaperones, which help other
proteins in the cell fold properly, prevent protein clumping, and escort
improperly made proteins to be recycled. These vital functions become even
more important when a cell is stressed by heat, cold, toxins or other
hardships that affect protein folding.