Extracellular Release of Annexin A2 is Enhanced upon Oxidative Stress Response via the p38 MAPK Pathway after Low-Dose X-Ray Irradiation

The extracellular microenvironment affects cellular responses to various stressors including radiation. Annexin A2, which was initially identified as an intracellular molecule, is also released into the extracellular environment and is known to regulate diverse cell surface events, however, the molecular mechanisms underlying its release are not well known. In this study, we found that in cultured human cancer and non-cancerous cells an extracellular release of annexin A2 was greatly enhanced 1–4 h after a single 20 cGy X-ray dose, but not after exposure to ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation. Extracellular release of annexin A2 was also enhanced after H2O2 and nicotine treatments, which was suppressed by pretreatment with the antioxidant, N-acetyl cysteine. Among the oxidative stress pathway molecules examined in HeLa cells, AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were mostly activated by low-dose X-ray radiation, and the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, but not comp...