Fig. 1.

Schematic representation of the chaperone function after alcohol stress. Ethanol treatment can influence the function of different cell components, e.g., it can disrupt the membrane order and impair the structure of proteins. However, these events lead to the activation of HSFs, and subsequently, to the expression of Hsps. The synthesized Hsps finally provide protection against further damage, as they can increase the membrane order, repair the proteins or prevent their aggregation, and block the apoptotic pathway