Heme Proteins and Signaling in Redox Biology

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "ROS, RNS and RSS".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2026 | Viewed by 1140

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Interests: blood substitutes; oxidative stress; hemoglobin; cytoglobin; redox chemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled “Heme Proteins and Signaling in Redox Biology”, aims to bring together contributions presented at the 22nd International Conference on Oxygen Binding and Sensing Proteins, held at the University of Essex, Colchester, UK, from 26th–29th August 2025 (https://www.essex.ac.uk/events/2025/08/26/22nd-international-conference-on-oxygen-binding-and-sensing-proteins).

This Special Issue will highlight recent advances in our understanding of heme-containing proteins and their central roles in redox-regulated processes, gasotransmitter signaling, cellular communication, and oxygen transport and sensing.

Members of the globin superfamily, along with other heme-containing proteins, serve as key mediators across diverse biological systems, coupling ligand binding and redox chemistry to essential functions in respiration, metabolism, stress adaptation, and cellular signaling. The papers in this collection span a wide range of experimental and theoretical approaches, aiming to shed new light on the mechanisms by which heme proteins modulate redox signaling pathways.

Together, these contributions reflect the depth and diversity of current research in the field and underscore the versatility of heme proteins in redox biology. This Special Issue stands not only as a record of recent progress but also as a catalyst for future interdisciplinary research in redox regulation and oxygen biology.

Dr. Brandon Reeder
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • heme proteins
  • redox biology
  • globin
  • oxygen binding and sensing proteins

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

14 pages, 682 KB  
Review
Cytoglobin in Hepatic Stellate Cells Plays Anti-Fibrotic Role in Chronic Liver Injury
by Norifumi Kawada
Antioxidants 2026, 15(3), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15030383 - 19 Mar 2026
Viewed by 717
Abstract
Cytoglobin (Cygb) was discovered in 2001 as a cytoplasmic globin predominantly expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). While its initial physiological role remained elusive, subsequent studies using Cygb-deficient mouse models of liver injury have demonstrated that Cygb exerts protective effects against liver fibrosis [...] Read more.
Cytoglobin (Cygb) was discovered in 2001 as a cytoplasmic globin predominantly expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). While its initial physiological role remained elusive, subsequent studies using Cygb-deficient mouse models of liver injury have demonstrated that Cygb exerts protective effects against liver fibrosis and inflammation. It achieves this by regulating HSC activation, thereby preserving hepatic homeostasis. Furthermore, accumulating evidence suggests a significant role for Cygb in hepatocarcinogenesis. Analysis of human liver tissues and cell-based models has further confirmed the critical involvement of CYGB in liver pathology. Functionally, Cygb acts as an antioxidant protein that mitigates oxidative stress, a property that appears to modulate transforming growth factor-beta signaling and downstream fibrogenic responses. Based on these findings, therapeutic strategies employing recombinant CYGB for the treatment of human liver cirrhosis are currently being explored, and their potential clinical applications are eagerly anticipated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heme Proteins and Signaling in Redox Biology)
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