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Stress response gene activation protects sea urchin embryos exposed to X-rays

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Cell Stress and Chaperones Aims and scope

Abstract

We used Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos, a well-established model in developmental biology and ecotoxicology, for investigation on stress/anti-apoptotic protein expression elicited in response to harmful ionizing radiation, such as X-rays. We evaluated the acute effects of a high-dose exposure (5 Gy) on P. lividus analyzing by Western blotting the accumulation levels of HSP60, HSP70, BAG3 and a putative p63 at 24 and 48 h after irradiation. We found an increase in the HSP70, BAG3, and p63 protein levels only 48 h after irradiation, whereas no HSP60 increase was detected either at 24 or 48 h. Levels of the mRNA coding for HSP70 and p63 were also investigated by relative RT-PCR and were found to increase 24 h after irradiation, returning to their initial levels at 48 h. Results demonstrate the presence of an adaptive regulatory mechanism operating at the transcriptional level at 24 h, followed by a translational activation at 48 h post-irradiation. In conclusion, our findings confirm the sea urchin embryo as a sensible bioindicator of cell damage and we propose this model for studies on the protective pathways activated in response to X-rays. The novel result of the involvement of BAG3 and p63 in the response to X-rays, never tested so far in any other embryonic system, opens the way for their use as biomarkers of X-ray hazards.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been fully supported by the Italian Space Agency, MoMa Project (contract 1/014/06/0). RB has received a fellowship within the above-mentioned grant. Partial financial support from the EU 7thFP ITN: Biomintec (Contract N° PITN-GA-2008-215507) and CNR Flagship Project FBdQ 2011. We thank the Department of Physics, University of Palermo for space and support in hosting the X-ray facility. We are grateful to all the other members of the group for their helpful contributions and suggestions and the stimulating working environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biomedicina e Immunologia Molecolare “Alberto Monroy”, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy

    Rosa Bonaventura, Francesca Zito, Caterina Costa & Valeria Matranga

  2. INAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy

    Salvatore Giarrusso & Filippo Celi

Authors
  1. Rosa Bonaventura
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  2. Francesca Zito
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  3. Caterina Costa
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  4. Salvatore Giarrusso
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  5. Filippo Celi
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  6. Valeria Matranga
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Correspondence to Valeria Matranga.

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Bonaventura, R., Zito, F., Costa, C. et al. Stress response gene activation protects sea urchin embryos exposed to X-rays. Cell Stress and Chaperones 16, 681–687 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-011-0277-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-011-0277-3

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