Heat-Shock Proteins and Gamma-Delta T Cells

Characteristic of the heat shock or stress response is the synthesis of a family of fairly well-conserved proteins of various molecular sizes - the heat-shock proteins.

This volume reviews the evidence that the expression of heat-shock proteins may interact with lymphocytes that bear the gamma-delta T cell receptor and result in the initiation of immunopathology.

The possibility that this subset of lymphocytes is specialized to respond to heat-shock proteins has recently generated much interest.

The material presented in this volume addresses the question from a pathological perspective.

Particular emphasis is placed on studies that have examined human diseases where tissue damage is quite widespread.