Induction of a heat shock response (HSP 72) in rat embryos exposed to selected chemical teratogens.

A monoclonal antibody to the 72 kD heat shock protein (HSP 72), Western blot analysis and 2-D gel electrophoresis/autoradiography were used to determine whether selected chemical teratogens induced the synthesis and accumulation of HSP 72 in postimplantation rat embryos exposed in vitro. The chemical teratogens studied include N-Acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-Ac-AAF), cadmium chloride (CAD), cyclophosphamide (CP), sodium arsenite (AS), and sodium salicylate (SAL). Exposures to test chemicals were selected that produced obvious embryotoxicity characterized by abnormal development and growth retardation. Of the five chemical teratogens studied, AS and SAL induced the synthesis and accumulation of HSP 72 in day 10 rat embryos. The kinetics of HSP 72 accumulation, however, differed between AS- and SAL-treated embryos. Maximal levels of HSP 72 were observed 24 hours after AS exposure and 10 hours after SAL exposure. N-Ac-AAF, CD, and CP induced obvious embryotoxicity; however, none of these chemical teratogens induced HSP 72 at any of the timepoints assayed. Although only a small sample of chemical teratogens was studied, our results suggest that the heat shock response, characterized by the synthesis and accumulation of HSP 72, is not a general biomarker for chemical teratogens.