Apoptotic p53 Gene Expression in the Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP)-Induced Oxidative Stress in the Intertidal Crab <i>Macrophthalmus</i><i>japonicus</i>
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), some of the most dangerous chemicals released into the aquatic environment, are distributed worldwide due to their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. In the study, we investigated <i>p53</i>-related apoptotic responses to POPs such as hex...
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MDPI AG,
2022-04-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), some of the most dangerous chemicals released into the aquatic environment, are distributed worldwide due to their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. In the study, we investigated <i>p53</i>-related apoptotic responses to POPs such as hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) or 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) in the mud crab <i>Macrophthalmus japonicus</i>. To do so, we characterized <i>M. japonicus</i> <i>p53</i> and evaluated basal levels of <i>p53</i> expression in different tissues. <i>M. japonicus</i> <i>p53</i> has conserved amino acid residues involving sites for protein dimerization and DNA and zinc binding. In phylogenetic analysis, the homology of the deduced <i>p53</i> amino acid sequence was not high (67-70%) among crabs, although <i>M. japonicus</i> <i>p53</i> formed a cluster with one clade with <i>p53</i> homologs from other crabs. Tissue distribution patterns revealed that the highest expression of <i>p53</i> mRNA transcripts was in the hepatopancreas of <i>M. japonicus</i> crabs. Exposure to POPs induced antioxidant defenses to modulate oxidative stress through the upregulation of catalase expression. Furthermore, <i>p53</i> expression was generally upregulated in the hepatopancreas and gills of <i>M. japonicus</i> after exposure to most concentrations of HBCD or BDE-47 for all exposure periods. In hepatopancreas tissue, significant increases in <i>p53</i> transcript levels were observed as long-lasting apoptotic responses involving cellular defenses until day 7 of relative long-term exposure. The findings in this study suggest that exposure to POPs such as HBCD or BDE-47 may trigger the induction of cellular defense processes against oxidative stress, including DNA repair, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis through the transcriptional upregulation of <i>p53</i> expression in <i>M. japonicus</i>. |
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| Item Description: | 10.3390/antiox11040771 2076-3921 |