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Figure 1 | Cancer & Metabolism

Figure 1

From: Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and cancer

Figure 1

Production and interconversion of reactive oxygen species. O2·− is formed from molecular O2 by gaining a single electron from a NADPH oxidase (NOX) enzyme or from electron leak in the electron transport chain of the mitochondria. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes convert two superoxide molecules into a H2O2 and a water (H2O) molecule. Hydrogen peroxide can undergo Fenton chemistry with Fe2+ to form HO·, which is extremely reactive and can cause cellular damage. Hydrogen peroxide can also modify redox-sensitive cysteine residues to change cellular signaling. Alternatively, hydrogen peroxide can be reduced to water by glutathione peroxidases (GPXs), peroxiredoxins (PRXs), or catalase.

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