| Summary: | Recent data suggests that p‐38 MAPK signaling may be involved in rapid cold hardening (RCH) of the house fly Musca Domestica , the Antarctic midge Belgica Antarctica , and the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis . Accordingly, this study used pharmacological techniques to determine whether p‐38 MAPK signaling is required for RCH in Drosophila melanogaster. As in prior studies, RCH afforded protection against cold shock injury for flies reared on drug‐free medium (yeast paste) for 48 h beginning within 6 h following eclosion; whereas no flies transferred directly from 23° C to −6° C for 1 h survived, 74% of those exposed to 1° C for 2 h immediately prior to a 1 h exposure to −6°C survived. By contrast, rearing flies on yeast paste containing 1 μg/mL SB 239063 impaired the capacity to rapidly cold harden; all flies fed SB 239063 were killed by a 1 h exposure to −6°C, regardless of whether they were first subjected to a RCH treatment. Similarly, preliminary data suggests that pharmacological inhibition of p38‐MAPK interferes with the protection of clinging behavior by rapid cold hardening.
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