Heat shock response in the salamanders plethodon jordani and plethodon cinereus

1. Neither cold acclimation (2–3°C) nor laboratory captivity affected the amount of hsp 70 in the lungless salamander Plethodon cinereus. 2. Plethodon jordani had substantial amounts of heat shock protein (hsp) 70 present in its tissues when acclimated to 15°C (LD 12:12). 3. The increase in hsp 70 in P. jordani (13.2%) after heat shock at 2°C below its critical thermal maximum (CTMax) (34.1°C) was not statistically significantly higher than the control value. 4. An immunoblot with monoclonal antibody after 2-D SDS PAGE gel indicated that constitutive hsp 70 was the major form of hsp 70 in P. jordani.