Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) also known as heat shock protein beta-1 (HSPB1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HSPB1 gene. Hsp27 is a chaperone of the sHsp (small heat shock protein) group among α-crystallin, Hsp20, and others. The common functions of sHsps are chaperone activity, thermotolerance, inhibition of apoptosis, regulation of cell development, and cell differentiation. They also take part in signal transduction.