Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Protocol for the Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Mixed Cultures of Neurons and Glia for Neurotoxicity Testing
Published on: June 9, 2017
Differential programming of p53-deficient embryonic cells during rotenone block
M L Green1, A V Singh, L B Ruest
1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Craniofacial Biology, University of Louisville, 501 S. Preston St., Louisville, KY 40202, USA. maia.green@merck.com
Abstract:
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in chemical toxicities. The present study used an in vitro model to investigate the differential expression of metabolic pathways during cellular stress in p53-efficient embryonic fibroblasts compared to p53-deficient cells. These cell lines differed with respect to NADH/NAD(+) balance. This ratio constitutes a driving force for NAD- and NADH-dependent reactions and is inversed upon exposure to Rotenone (complex I inhibitor). Rotenone perturbed the structure of the elongated fibrillar tubulin network and decreased mRNA expression of tubulin genes both suggesting reprogramming and reorganization of the cytoskeleton in both cell lines. These changes were reflected in the abundance of specific mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) species as determined from genome-based analysis. Changes in mRNA and miRNA expression profiles reflected differences in energy utilizing pathways, consistent with the notion that the p53 pathway influences the cellular response to mitochondrial dysfunction and that at least some control may be embedded within specific mRNA/miRNA networks in embryonic cells.
Related Concept Videos
Negative Regulator Molecules
Abnormal Proliferation
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle
DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle

