Hsp16.6 belongs to a family of class I of a small heat shock proteins. They are induced once a cell is stressed by an increased temperature. Synechocystis Hsp16.6 is involved in the development of thermotolerance and thylakoid stability. The way small hsp proteins are protecting a living cell are not fully understood. They seem to be involved in chaperone functions by protecting other proteins from irreversible denaturation.
