Specificity in reactive oxidant signaling: think globally, act locally

Although reactive oxidants have long been stigmatized as unwanted metabolic byproducts, the expression of oxidases specifically functioning to produce these same molecules in a regulated fashion is surprisingly pervasive throughout metazoan and plant evolution. Although the involvement of oxidants in many signaling pathways is well documented, the cellular strategies for conferring pathway specificity to such reactive molecules have remained more recondite. Recent studies now suggest that cells may spatially restrict oxidant production to allow microdomain-specific signaling.