Anna M. Merendino, Fabio Bucchieri, Claudia Campanella, Vito Marcianò, Anna Ribbene, Sabrina David, Giovanni Zummo, Giosalba Burgio, Davide F. V. Corona, Everly Conway de Macario, Alberto J. L. Macario, Francesco Cappello

Hsp60, a Group I mitochondrial chaperonin, is classically considered an intracellular chaperone with residence in the mitochondria; nonetheless, in the last few years it has been found extracellularly as well as in the cell membrane. Important questions remain pertaining to extracellular Hsp60 such as how generalized is its occurrence outside cells, what are its extracellular functions and the translocation mechanisms that transport the chaperone outside of the cell. These questions are particularly relevant for cancer biology since it is believed that extracellular chaperones, like Hsp70, may play an active role in tumor growth and dissemination.