Fluorodeoxyuridine enhances the heat shock response and decreases polyglutamine aggregation in an HSF-1-dependent manner in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The heat shock response (HSR) protects cells from protein-denaturing stress through the induction of chaperones. The HSR is conserved in all organisms and is mediated by the transcription factor HSF-1. We show here that a compound commonly used to prevent larval development in Caenorhabditis elegans, 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FUdR), can enhance heat shock induction of hsp mRNA in an HSF-1-dependent manner. Treatment with FUdR can also decrease age-dependent polyglutamine aggregation in a Huntington's disease model, and this effect depends on HSF-1 as well. Therefore, FUdR treatment can modulate the HSR and proteostasis, and should be used with caution when used to inhibit reproduction.