Redox events in interleukin-1 signaling

There is increasing evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are mediators in growth factor and cytokine signaling pathways. Mechanisms by which ROS can interfere with signaling cascades may include regulation of protein activities by the modification of essential cysteines. Modification can be performed chemically or enzyme-catalyzed. Enzymes catalyzing a reversible thiol modification within proteins are to be able to react with both, ROS and protein thiols. If hydroperoxides are involved, promising candidates are peroxiredoxins and glutathione peroxidases (GPx), especially the phospholipid hydroperoxide GPx. Interleukin-1, one of the key players in inflammatory response, stimulates the production of ROS itself, but its signaling cascade can also be influenced by ROS and by thiol modifying agents. Targets are located in early, intermediate, and late events in the signaling cascade. We here summarize what is known about the effects of thiol modifying agents, selenium and glutathione peroxidases, on the assembly of the IL-1 receptor signaling complex as an early event, on the activation of NF-kappaB as an intermediate event, and on the expression of cell adhesion molecules as a late event in IL-1 signaling. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.