The p53/HSP70 inhibitor, 2-phenylethynesulfonamide, causes oxidative stress, unfolded protein response and apoptosis in rainbow trout cells.

The effect of 2-phenylethynesulfonamide (PES), which is a p53 and HSP70 inhibitor in mammalian cells, was studied on the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gill epithelial cell line, RTgill-W1, in order to evaluate PES as a tool for understanding the cellular survival pathways operating in fish. As judged by three viability assays, fish cells were killed by 24h exposures to PES, but cell death was blocked by the anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Cell death had several hallmarks of apoptosis: DNA laddering, nuclear fragmentation, Annexin V staining, mitochondrial membrane potential decline, and caspases activation.

Characterization of p53 expression in rainbow trout.

The tumour suppressor protein p53 is a critical component of cell cycle checkpoint responses. It upregulates the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in response to DNA damage and other cellular perturbations, and promotes apoptosis when DNA repair pathways are overwhelmed. Given the high incidence of p53 mutations in human cancers, it has been extensively studied, though only a small fraction of these investigations have been in non-mammalian systems.