MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF REDOX SIGNALLING IN HOMEOSTASIS: ADAPTATION AND PATHOLOGY

During evolution organisms have developed mechanisms to use reactive oxygen species (ROS) as oxidation/reduction switches for the regulation of gene expression and enzymatic activities that are crucial components for the maintenance of homeostasis. The amount of ROS is balanced by the ratio of its production and the activity of the antioxidant system (ADS), both dynamically interacting with metabolic regulation of homeostasis. The aim of the project is to further explore the mechanisms of redox signalling mediated by ROS and the ADS. We propose to examine model systems already described and standardised by researchers engaged in the project (whole insects, cell culture, isolated organs and human blood cells) to decipher the role of reactive radicals in the maintenance of homeostasis and adaptive mechanisms. Through a combination of molecular, biochemical and pharmacological techniques and the identification of specific free radicals (via EPR spectroscopy) we will obtain data which will assist us to better understand several physiological and pathological processes which have already been described in our recently published papers regarding ROS and ADS (cold hardiness, muscle contraction, schizophrenia and cancer). In summary, we are confident that at the end of the research period we will have assimilated knowledge concerning the understanding of mechanisms behind redox-driven processes involved in adaptation and the mechanisms underlying pathological processes.