Redox signalling and the control of cell growth and death

Cells maintain a reduced intracellular state in the face of a highly oxidizing extracellular environment. Redox signalling pathways provide a link between external stimuli, through the flavoenzyme-mediated NADPH-dependent reduction of intracellular peptide thiols, such as glutathione, thioredoxin, glutaredoxin, and redox factor-1, to the posttranslational redox modification of certain intracellular proteins. This can affect the proteins' correct folding, assembly into multimeric complexes, enzymatic activity, and their binding as transcription factors to specific DNA sequences. Such changes have been linked to altered cell growth and death.