Jonathan Stamler's laboratory investigates the interaction of nitric oxide with proteins, in studies that are reshaping an understanding of NO biology and providing new insights into fundamental aspects of redox systems and globin evolution and function.
Most cellular functions are sensitive to redox state.
Redox regulation has been viewed as a simple on-off switch in proteins, corresponding to reduced and oxidized states. These responses are important signaling events that may also exert pathophysiological effects. We are interested in understanding the nature of redox-related signals, the mechanisms that control signal onset and duration at the molecular and organismal level, and the regulation by redox systems of complex physiological responses. Nitric oxide is the prototypic redox-related signaling molecule. Its chemical interactions with cysteines and transition metal centers have served as ubiquitous models within the field of redox biochemistry.