Studies of the small heat shock proteins of Caenorhabditis elegans using anti-peptide antibodies.

Peptides corresponding to selected regions of the 16 kDa small heat shock proteins (hsps) of the nematode C. elegans were synthesized and used to elicit polyclonal antibodies. It was found that these antibodies reacted predominantly with either the 16 kDa or the 18 kDa proteins, suggesting a close structural similarity between these hsps. Western blots of two-dimensional gels revealed extensive heterogeneity in these proteins, probably resulting from post-synthetic modifications. The native structures of both size classes of hsps were found to consist of large complexes of 4-5 x 10(5) Da.