REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AS MEDIATORS OF SIGNAL-TRANSDUCTION IN CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE

Reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions that generate reactive oxygen sp ecies (ROS) have been identified as important chemical processes that regulate signal transduction. Because increased ROS may be a risk fact or for cardiovascular events such as unstable angina, myocardial infar ction and sudden death, understanding the biological processes that ge nerate ROS and the intracellular signals elicited by ROS will be impor tant to gain insight into the pathogenesis of these diseases. In this review, we discuss the enzymes that generate ROS in cardiovascular tis sues, the role of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway i n redox-sensitive signal transduction, and focus on tyrosine kinases a s proximate ''sensors'' for redox-mediated signal events. The mechanis ms by which these kinases regulate gene transcription are then discuss ed to provide insight into the pathogenic roles of ROS in hypertension , atherosclerosis and vascular remodeling. (C) 1998, Elsevier Science Inc.