Heat Shock Protein Family B (small) member 7 (HSPB7) in humans is a protein encoded by a gene of the same name with four exons that is located on chromosome 1p36.13.[4],.[5] HSPB7 contains 170 amino acids and has a molecular weight of 18,611Da.[6] HSPB7 is a member of human small heat shock protein (HSPB) family, which contains eleven family members of chaperone proteins.[7] HSPB7 and its gene pair SRARP are located 5 kb apart on the opposite strands of chromosome 1p36.13.[8]
HSPB7 is widely expressed throughout the body and its highest expression is observed in the cardiac tissue [7],.[9] HSPB protein family, including HSPB7, act protectively on aggregation of several proteins containing an extended polyglutamine (polyQ) stretch that are linked to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.[10] Among these proteins, HSPB7 is the most potent polyQ aggregation suppressor within the HSPB family of chaperones.[10] In addition, HSPB7 protein contains a HSP20 domain and strongly interacts with the chaperone protein 14-3-3.[8] An interaction with the 14-3-3 protein is a common molecular feature between HSPB7 and SRARP proteins [8],[11]