HSP70 Ameliorates Septic Lung Injury via Inhibition of Apoptosis by Interacting with KANK2

Acute lung injury is the most common type of organ damage with high incidence and mortality in sepsis, which is a poorly understood syndrome of disordered inflammation. The aims of this study are to explore whether heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), as a molecular chaperone, attenuates the septic lung injury, and to understand the underlying mechanisms. In our study, treatment with HSP70 ameliorated the survival rate, dysfunction of lung, inflammation, and apoptosis in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-treated mice as well as in LPS-treated human alveolar epithelial cells. Furthermore, HSP70 interacted with KANK2, leading to reversed cell viability and reduced apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and apoptosis. Additionally, knockdown of KANK2 in epithelial cells and deletion of hsp70.1 gene in CLP mice aggravated apoptosis and tissue damage, suggesting that interaction of KANK2 and HSP70 is critical for protecting lung injury induced by sepsis. HSP70 plays an important role in protection of acute lung injury caused by sepsis through interaction with KANK2 to reduce AIF release and apoptotic cell. HSP70 is a novel potential therapeutic approach for attenuation of septic lung injury.