ROS signaling in innate immunity via oxidative protein modifications

Front Immunol. 2024 Mar 7:15:1359600. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1359600. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

The innate immune response represents the first-line of defense against invading pathogens. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) have been implicated in various aspects of innate immune function, which involves respiratory bursts and inflammasome activation. These reactive species widely distributed within the cellular environment are short-lived intermediates that play a vital role in cellular signaling and proliferation and are likely to depend on their subcellular site of formation. NADPH oxidase complex of phagocytes is known to generate superoxide anion radical (O2 •-) that functions as a precursor for antimicrobial hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, and H2O2 is utilized by myeloperoxidase (MPO) to generate hypochlorous acid (HOCl) that mediates pathogen killing. H2O2 modulates the expression of redox-responsive transcriptional factors, namely NF-kB, NRF2, and HIF-1, thereby mediating redox-based epigenetic modification. Survival and function of immune cells are under redox control and depend on intracellular and extracellular levels of ROS/RNS. The current review focuses on redox factors involved in the activation of immune response and the role of ROS in oxidative modification of proteins in macrophage polarization and neutrophil function.

Keywords: inflammation; innate immune response; macrophage; neutrophils; oxidative stress; protein oxidation; reactive oxygen species.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Hydrogen Peroxide*
  • Hypochlorous Acid
  • Immunity, Innate
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Superoxides*

Substances

  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Superoxides
  • Hypochlorous Acid

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was funded by [1] the European Regional Development Fund project “Plants as a tool for sustainable global development” (CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000827); [2] state contract of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation “Genetic and epigenetic editing of tumor cells and microenvironment in order to block metastasis” no. 075-15-2021-1073 (to JK); [3] Tomsk State University Development Programme (Priority-2030).