Dioxygen Binding and Sensing Proteins

Abstract

Oxygen binding proteins (O2BIP) have been actively investigated over the last five decades due to their rich redox chemistry and function as O2 carriers in blood cells, as well as their function as gasotransmitters and sensors that modulate cellular signaling. A series of meetings on the periodic advances in the knowledge gained in the field of globin structure and function are conducted typically on a biannual basis. In the fall of 2018, the XXth International Conference was conducted, and very important papers with breakthrough discoveries were presented and very enthusiastically discussed. This was yet another highly successful meeting in the series. Select papers from this meeting were recently reviewed, updated and published over several issues of Antioxidants and Redox Signaling (ARS), as forum papers communicating the latest advances in this important area of redox biology. This forum editorial introduces these articles, and highlights their scientific significance in advancing the field. Each of these articles grew out of lectures presented in the meeting, and appears either as an original contribution or a comprehensive review in the journal. Overall, the articles published in the forum provide in-depth details on the recent developments in the field as well as point the way to future directions. These forum papers thus serve as an important summary of progress and the ongoing direction of this field, and serve to highlight recent advances in our understanding of O2BIP.