Ca. State University Long Beach Foundation

Stressgen Biotechnology Corporation

Stressgen Biotechnologies Corporation

Jack L Nichols

Kenneth D Jenkins

Bryan E Imber

Brenda M Sanders

METHOD OF SCREENING PHYSIOLOGICAL SAMPLES for elevated levels of heat shock proteins due to chronic exposure to sublethal levels of stressors, and kits for carrying out the method, are disclosed. The methods comprise: conducting first and second assays at different times, each assay comprising: (a) sampling by removing a physiological sample from the organism under sampling conditions that do not induce a heat shock protein response in the organism; (b) measuring the concentration in the sample of at least one heat shock protein selected from the group consisting of hsp 20-30, hsp 60, hsp 70, hsp 90 and ubiquitin; and (c) comparing the heat shock protein concentrations measured in the first and second assays and considering the organism to have been chronically exposed to one or more stressors if the concentrations are at least about 2 times above a baseline heat shock protein concentration corresponding to an unstressed physiological sample and the measured concentrations do not vary more than about 50% one from the other. The invention also provides methods for medically screening for biological damage due to chronic of an organism to a stressor by the above method and then comparing the measured concentration of hsp to a predetermined standard calibration curve which correlates hsp concentration with physiological impairment of growth or reproductive processes, and kits for carrying out the methods.

Method of screening physiological samples for elevated levels of heat

Method of detecting chronic exposure of an organism to a stressor, and for evaluating biological damage due to chronic exposure to sublethal levels of stressors and kits for carrying out the method are disclosed. The methods comprise: (a) sampling at least one organism in order to determine whether it has been chronically exposed to a sublethal concentration of one or more stressors in its environment, under sampling conditions that do not induce any additional heat shock protein (hsp) response in the organism; (b) obtaining a sample of cells or secretions of said organism, suspected of having elevated levels of heat shock proteins and solubilizing the heat shock proteins in the sample; and (c) measuring the concentration of a heat shock protein in said sample. The invention also provides methods for evaluating biological damage due to chronic exposure to a sublethal concentration of one or more stressors comprising detecting chronic exposure of the organism by the above method and then comparing the measured concentration of hsp to a predetermined standard calibration curve which correlates hsp concentration with physiological impairment of growth or reproductive processes, and kits for carrying out the methods.

Accumulation of heat shock proteins for evaluating biological damage due

Method of detecting chronic exposure of an organism to a pollutant, and for evaluating biological damage due to chronic exposure to sublethal levels of pollutants and kits for carrying out the method are disclosed. The methods comprise:

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Vancouver, Canada

Jack L Nichols