hsp60, as a mitochondrial protein, has been shown to be involved in stress response as well. the heat shock response is a homeostatic mechanism that protects a cell from damage by upregulating the expression of genes that code for hsp60. the upregulation of hsp60 production allows for the maintenance of other cellular processes occurring in the cell, especially during stressful times. in one experiment, investigators treated various mice with l-dopa and discovered significant upregulation of hsp60 expression in the mitochondria and hsp70 expression in the cytoplasm. researchers concluded that the heat shock signal pathway serves as “the basic mechanism of defense against neurotoxicity elicited by free radical oxygen and nitrogen species produced in aging and neurodegenerative disorders”. several studies have shown that hsp60 and other heat shock proteins are necessary for cellular survival under toxic or stressful circumstances.