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Assessment of Cellular Oxidation using a Subcellular Compartment-Specific Redox-Sensitive Green Fluorescent Protein
Published on: June 18, 2020
Redox sensing: orthogonal control in cell cycle and apoptosis signalling
1Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. dpjones@emory.edu
Journal of Internal Medicine
|October 23, 2010
Summary
Cellular communication involves high-energy chemicals, redox balance, and ion channels. This study distinguishes global redox-sensing from specific redox signalling, highlighting cysteine
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Redox Biology
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Living systems utilize three primary cell signaling pathways: high-energy chemicals, redox environment, and ion-gating.
- Integrated systems biology models are needed to incorporate these diverse signaling mechanisms.
- Redox biology reveals dynamic, non-equilibrium thiol-disulphide systems that change with cell lifecycle and subcellular compartments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate between global redox-sensing mechanisms and discrete redox signalling.
- To explore how redox-sensing regulates other cellular signaling pathways.
- To investigate the role of cysteine residues in redox-sensing and signalling.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual modeling based on recent advances in redox biology.
- Analysis of cysteine (Cys) residue sensitivity to various oxidative modifications.
- Comparison of redox-sensing and signalling mechanisms regarding their control and integration capabilities.
Main Results:
- Redox-sensing provides global control over signaling systems, distinct from specific signalling pathways.
- Cysteine residues act as 'sulphur switches' for both sensing and signalling, with some Cys residues mediating sensing orthogonally to signalling.
- Redox-sensing integrates signals based on cell cycle and physiological state without altering core signalling mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Redox-sensing mechanisms globally influence cellular signaling by modulating protein properties via cysteine modifications.
- This orthogonal control allows for integrated signal processing tailored to cellular conditions.
- Oxidation of thiol-disulphide pools with age and disease suggests redox-sensing thiols are central to disease development.
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