Journal
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
Volume 80, Issue -, Pages 164-170Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2014.08.017
Keywords
Hydrogen peroxide; Superoxide; Thiol protein oxidation; Cell signalling; Free radicals
Funding
- Marsden Fund
- Health Research Council of New Zealand
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Cells respond to many stimuli by transmitting signals through redox-regulated pathways. It is generally accepted that in many instances signal transduction is via reversible oxidation of thiol proteins, although there is uncertainty about the specific redox transformations involved. The prevailing view is that thiol oxidation occurs by a two electron mechanism, most commonly involving hydrogen peroxide. Free radicals, on the other hand, are considered as damaging species and not generally regarded as important in cell signaling. This paper examines whether it is justified to dismiss radicals or whether they could have a signaling role. Although there is no direct evidence that radicals are involved in transmitting thiol-based redox signals, evidence is presented that they are generated in cells when these signaling pathways are activated. Radicals produce the same thiol oxidation products as two electron oxidants, although by a different mechanism, and at this point radical-mediated pathways should not be dismissed. There are unresolved issues about how radical mechanisms could achieve sufficient selectivity, but this could be possible through colocalization of radical-generating and signal-transducing proteins. Colocalization is also likely to be important for nonradical signaling mechanisms and identification of such associations should be a priority for advancing the field. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available