The heat shock (HS) response is a well established phenomenon that occurs in all organisms when subjected to a sudden elevation of temperature or certain other forms of physiological stress (Basra, 1994; Nover et al., 1990; Schlesinger et al., 1982). It manifests itself by changes in the normal pattern of protein and mRNA synthesis; heat shock proteins (HSPs) are rapidly induced in order to protect cells from the deleterious effects of stress, in many cases by acting as molecular chaperones (Vierling, 1991). The appearance of HSPs is proceeded by the induction of new heat shock messenger RNAs. This induction occurs very rapidly, as seen in soybean where normally silent HS genes are transcribed within three to seven minutes after application of the heat stress ((Key et al., 1985) and Czarnecka-Verner, unpublished data).
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