Reactive oxygen species are produced by all aerobic cells and are widely be
lieved to play a pivotal role in aging as well as a number of degenerative
diseases. The consequences of the generation of oxidants in cells does not
appear to be Limited to promotion of deleterious effects. Alterations in ox
idative metabolism have long been known to occur during differentiation and
development. Experimental perturbations in cellular redox state have been
shown to exert a strong impact on these processes. The discovery of specifi
c genes and pathways affected by oxidants led to the hypothesis that reacti
ve oxygen species serve as subcellular messengers in gene regulatory and si
gnal transduction pathways. Additionally, antioxidants can activate numerou
s genes and pathways. The burgeoning growth in the number of pathways shown
to be dependent on oxidation or antioxidation has accelerated during the l
ast decade. In the discussion presented here, we provide a tabular summary
of many of the redox effects on gene expression and signaling pathways that
are currently known to exist.