Cellular Stress Response 2022-2

Jones, Sarah; Kenney, Kathryn; O'connor, Abigail

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Cellular Stress Response 2022-2

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Stress granules are RNA- and protein-containing cytoplasmic aggregates that form in response to stress. Cells may have different compositions of stress granules depending upon the type of stress. Previous research has identified proteins including RACK1, RPS3, RPS6, eIF3a, eIF4E, and TRAF2 in arsenite-formed stress granules, which appear to have an anti-apoptotic function. However, these factors are often absent from pro-apoptotic forms of stress granules. Acute high dose exposure to the stilbene compound resveratrol was recently shown to cause stress granules, but the proteins comprising the resveratrol stress granules remained unknown. Therefore we aimed to determine the composition of resveratrol-induced stress granules. U2OS cells were treated with resveratrol, ethanol (a negative control), and arsenite (a positive control), to observe stress granule formation. RACK1, RPS3, RPS6, eIF3a, eIF4E and TRAF2 were detected with antibodies for colocalization to stress granules with the stress granule marker protein G3BP1, using fluorescence microscopy. From this experiment it was found that resveratrol-induced stress granules had G3BP1 colocalization with RACK1, RPS3, RPS6, eIF3a, eIF4E and TRAF2 suggesting that their function is likely anti-apoptotic and similar to arsenite-induced stress granules.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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