Series: MCDB seminar series
Speaker: James Imlay, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Title: Molecular explanations for the toxicity of oxygen
Key takeaways:
- Life (biology) evolved in an anaerobic, iron-rich environment (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_history_of_oxygen)
- Oxidative stress is a consequence of old anaerobic (Fe2+) based biology coinciding with newer aerobic respiration.
- Juglone and Streptonigrin cause DNA damage by binding to free Fe2+ near the DNA (either directly or through hydrogen peroxide as an intermediate) and producing free radicals that cause DNA damage.