PUBLICATION

Deletion of a novel upstream promoter of p53 impairs cold tolerance capacity in zebrafish

Authors
Li, W., Song, H., Cai, X., Wang, Y., Zhang, Y., Sun, C., Han, B., Zhang, J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-250512-12
Date
2025
Source
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications   769: 151969151969 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Cold tolerance, Oxidative stress, Upstream promoter, Zebrafish, p53
MeSH Terms
  • Sequence Deletion*
  • Cold-Shock Response*/genetics
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems
  • Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/physiology
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53*/genetics
  • Oxidative Stress/genetics
  • Animals
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic*/genetics
  • Cold Temperature
  • Zebrafish Proteins*/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
PubMed
40349461 Full text @ Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.
Abstract
P53 is a tumor suppressor that plays a crucial role in stress responses. We previously identified a novel upstream p53 promoter in cold acclimated zebrafish cells, however the functional significance of this upstream promoter under cold stress in zebrafish remains unclear. We generated novel p53 promoter-/- zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 and characterized their responses to cold stress. While novel p53 promoter-/- zebrafish exhibited normal development, growth, and locomotion at 28 °C, they showed enhanced locomotor capacity at 18 °C and reduced cold tolerance capacity at 8 °C. RNA-seq revealed the expression of genes related to oxidative stress was downregulated at 8 °C in the gill of novel p53 promoter-/- zebrafish, compared with WT zebrafish. Further experiments confirmed that the ROS levels increased, and the expression of SOD and GSH-PX reduced under cold stress in novel p53 promoter-/- zebrafish, compared with WT zebrafish. The novel p53 promoter plays a critical role in maintaining antioxidant defense and low-temperature tolerance in zebrafish. Our findings provide new theoretical insights into the environmental adaptation mechanisms of fish and offer experimental evidence for the regulatory role of the p53 gene in response to low-temperature stress.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping