Antioxidant Roles of Redox Proteins

Dear Colleagues,

Since the appearance of predominantly aerobic metabolism on Earth some 2,000 million years ago, a step most likely triggered by the accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere, most biological systems have had to adapt to high levels of molecular oxygen. This had many benefits for Biology: greater size and complexity, more diversity, more efficient energy metabolism and a significantly increased range of protein structures.  However, the reduction of molecular oxygen to water (which happens in the electron transport chain) is strongly thermodynamically favored and this process inevitably forms intermediate oxygen species which are highly chemically reactive with cell components. Termed “reactive oxygen species” (ROS), some of these species are capable of diffusion-limited reaction rates with DNA, lipid and proteins. Thus, aerobic cells are constantly exposed to some levels of ROS and, under altered conditions such as exposure to toxic chemicals, ageing and some common pathologies, amounts of ROS can significantly increase beyond the cell’s antioxidant capacity. Most healthy cells are well-adapted to this situation and express a battery of antioxidant defenses such as high levels of reduced glutathione and antioxidant proteins. These defenses maintain a state of redox homeostasis. However if, for whatever reason, ROS levels exceed the capacity of these defenses, a state of oxidative stress can result. There is a growing awareness that antioxidant proteins play key quantitative roles in defending cells against oxidative stress and this special issue focuses on these proteins. Original research papers and reviews on aspects of this important research area are invited. In particular, roles of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidases are welcome. However, there is also interest in repair and detoxification enzymes and ancillary proteins that maintain high levels of NADPH which is essential for maintenance of the cell’s reduced state. An intriguing emerging area of research is redox signaling where, even in sub-stress scenarios, proteins existing in different redox states can mediate signaling pathways. Proteins acting as redox sensors may also be important in triggering or modulating cellular antioxidant responses.

Prof. Dr. David Sheehan
Guest Editor

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• protein
• antioxidant
• polymorphism
• oxidative stress
• redox
• glutathione
• redox sensors