Heat shock proteins (HSP) are highly essential for cell survival. They are synthesized in response to a plethora of stress signals including physical stress, oxidative stress, immune activation, and various disease states. Intracellular functions of HSP include both specific biological actions that are linked to a particular HSP and more general chaperone activities that result in the resumption of normal cellular metabolism. HSP have been implicated in diverse pathophysiological conditions like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, aging, diabetes, obesity, malaria, Chagas’ disease, schistosomiasis, and many bacterial and viral infections. Scientific evidence indicates that if HSP expression falls below a certain level, cells become sensitive to oxidative damage that accelerates aging and protein aggregation diseases. Meanwhile, persistently enhanced levels of HSP can lead to inflammatory and oncogenic changes. Although changes in HSP expression are associated with certain diseases, the question as to whether this is an adaptation to a particular pathophysiologic state, or a reflection of the suboptimal cellular environment associated with the disease remains open.

On the other hand, there are indications that HSP – due to their cytoprotective nature – may enhance the survival and persistence of senescent immune cells that underlie immunosenescence and its related negative health outcomes. Indeed, some excellent studies in murine models, in which senescent cells were targeted in different ways, found that clearance of senescent cells in skeletal muscle, eye, and fat, significantly attenuated the onset of age-related pathologies – as well as the progression of already established age-related diseases – in these tissues. Moreover, impairment of the immune system due to an increasing number of senescent T-cells with age has been reported to potentially promote progression of malignant tumors in older persons. Despite the current body of evidence, the role of HSP in immunosenescence and, more specifically, in T-cell senescence has not been completely investigated.

Therefore, a Special Issue of Pathogens is planned that will focus on the "role of HSP in immunosenescence and related diseases”. For this Special Issue, we invite you to contribute original research articles, review articles, short notes, as well as communications that could contribute to a better understanding of the role of the HSP in immunosenescence and its related diseases. Potential topics will also include innovative methods that might facilitate the investigation of HSP. We look forward to publishing your contribution.

Prof. Dr. Njemini Rose
Guest Editor

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• Heat shock proteins
• Immunosenescence
• T-cell senescence
• Diseases