Heat shock protein 70 expression in the skin of Pelophylax bergeri in response to thermal stress

The amphibian skin is an organ of interest as an indicator of the cellular response to stress factors. The upregulation of Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) is an important step in the cellular defense mechanisms against various endogenous and exogenous stressors. In this preliminary note, we investigated the expression of the inducible Hsp70 as a marker of thermal stress in the skin of the anuran Pelophylax bergeri. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that there was an elevated upregulation in the expression levels of Hsp70 after short-term heat stress. The immunolocalization of Hsp70 on skin samples shocked at 33 °C, showing the highest gene induction, revealed a positive staining in both epithelial and connective skin cells. These results indicate that Hsp70 could be a potential player in the skin defense mechanism. This study might contribute to a better understanding of the stress response in amphibians against thermal shock.