Dr. Elizabeth Veal, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University
Wednesday 18th February, 4.00 p.m., Stacey Lecture Theatre 1
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide, can cause lethal levels of oxidative damage. Indeed, oxidative cell damage is associated with a multitude of common diseases, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. There is a growing appreciation that, as well as activating endogenous ROS defences, low levels of hydrogen peroxide are used to regulate diverse processes, including cell division, differentiation and migration. ROS signals have even been shown to increase lifespan. However, the mechanisms that mediate these effects, or allow cells to differentiate between toxic and signalling ROS levels are poorly understood. I will describe how we have exploited the different advantages of yeast, nematode, cultured cell and mathematical models to provide some unexpected answers to these questions.