Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Regulates Different Types of Cell Death by Acting As a Rheostat

Overview

Journal Oxid Med Cell Longev

Publisher Wiley

Specialties Cell Biology
Endocrinology

Date 2021 Aug 24

PMID 34426760

Citations 115

Authors

Gloria E Villalpando-Rodriguez

Spencer B Gibson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential for cellular signaling and response to stress. The level of ROS and the type of ROS determine the ability of cells to undergo cell death. Furthermore, dysregulation of the antioxidant pathways is associated with many diseases. It has become apparent that cell death can occur through different mechanisms leading to the classifications of different types of cell death such as apoptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis. ROS play essential roles in all forms of cell death, but it is only now coming into focus that ROS control and determine the type of cell death that occurs in any given cell. Indeed, ROS may act as a rheostat allowing different cell death mechanisms to be engaged and crosstalk with different cell death types. In this review, we will describe the ROS regulatory pathways and how they control different types of cell death under normal and disease states. We will also propose how ROS could provide a mechanism of crosstalk between cell death mechanisms and act as a rheostat determining the type of cell death.

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