SUMMARY The cellular response to genotoxic stress is a complex cascade of events including altered protein expression, interactions, modifications and re-localization, leading to cell cycle arrest and DNA repair or to apoptosis. p53 protein has a central role in this process and p53 status is an important factor in a tumors response to genotoxic anti-cancer therapy. We have studied p53 related changes post exposure to ionizing radiation using top-down mass spectrometry. Initially two cell lines were compared, HCT116 p53wt and p53-/-, in a time course study post irradiation. In the p53wt cell line a striking increase of a 10.2 kDa protein was detected and this protein was identified with MS/MS-analysis as S100A6. Further MS-profiling lead to detection of two post-translationally modified variants of S100A6, namely glutathionylated and cysteinylated form. In p53wt cells, a specific shift from glutathionylated to cysteinylated S100A6 occurred post irradiation. The p53 dependency of this specific change in protein level and modification pattern of S100A6 post irradiation was confirmed in a panel of four lung cancer cell lines (H23, U1810, H69, A549) with different p53 status and using siRNA against p53. Interestingly, the closely related S100-family protein S100A4 showed the same changes in modification pattern post IR in the p53wt lung cancer cell line and S100A4 also showed p53 dependent expression. Using confocal microscopy, relocalization of S100A6 from nucleus to cytosol and a colocalization with tropomyosin in stress fibers was detected in A549 cells post irradiation. This relocalization coincided with the change in S100A6 modification pattern. Based on these results, we suggest that S100A6 and S100A4 are regulated via redox modifications in vivo, and that these proteins are involved in the cellular response to genotoxic stress.