Role of nuclear p38 in the transcriptional response to oxidative stress in Drosophila (RNA-Seq)

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases play fundamental roles in the regulation of the cellular response to environmental stress. p38 is known to regulate translation, mRNA processing and stability, and transcription. The transcriptional response mediated by phosphorylated p38 (P-p38) to extracellular stimuli, such as growth factors, cytokines and different environmental agents, has been thoroughly analysed in a variety of tissues and organisms. However, the genomic localisation of P-p38 is poorly understood. Here, we analysed the chromatin binding of activated P-p38 and the transcriptional response triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Drosophila S2 cells. We found that P-p38 is already bound to chromatin in basal conditions and relocates in the genome after exposure to high levels of ROS. The distribution pattern of P-p38 suggests that it is involved in the activation and repression of transcription in S2 cells, mainly regulating house-keeping functions. Overall design: Gene expression profiling analysis of Drosophila S2 cells.