Do Small Heat Shock Proteins Protect Skeletal Muscle from Injury?

KOH, T.J. Do small heat shock proteins protect skeletal muscle from injury? Exerc. Sport. Sci. Rev., Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 117–121, 2002. Prior exercise training protects skeletal muscle from contraction-induced injury. However, the mechanisms of protection are unknown. In this paper, the hypothesis is developed that exercise-induced increases in small heat shock protein activity may protect muscle cells via interactions with cytoskeletal elements and/or the glutathione system.