Heat Shock Protein Beta 7 (HSPb7)

CVHSP encodes a deduced 170-amino acid protein with features of a small heat-shock protein, including an HSP20 (HSPB8) protein family motif and a conserved C-terminal domain. The minor CVHSP splice variants encode proteins of 175 and 68 amino acids.

Northern blot analysis detected a major transcript of 2.3 kb and minor transcripts of 1.2 and 1.6 kb in heart and skeletal muscle. RNA dot blot analysis detected high expression of CVHSP in adult and fetal heart and in skeletal muscle, with weaker expression in aorta. RT-PCR showed CVHSP expression in adipose as well. Western blot analysis detected a major 25-kD CVHSP protein and a less abundant 23-kD protein.