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Glutathione, an Over One Billion Years Ancient Molecule, Is Still Actively Involved in Cell Regulatory Pathways

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The First Outstanding 50 Years of “Università Politecnica delle Marche”

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Abstract

Glutathione is a very ancient molecule widely distributed in aerobic cells and organisms, either prokaryotes or eukaryotes. Since glutathione in not found in anaerobic cells it could have evolved in the course of the adaptation to the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere. Glutathione is the major non-protein low molecular weight antioxidant and the most important cellular thiol reducing agent. Glutathione biosynthesis occurs in the cytosol from its constituent amino acids; GSH is present also in the most important cellular districts like mitochondria and nucleus to indicate its central role in several metabolic pathways and protective mechanisms. There are several glutathione dependent enzymes involved in various steps of cell metabolism. GSH is a key antioxidant that modulates various cellular processes and therefore is determinant for redox signaling, xenobiotics’s detoxication, regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis and immune functions. Glutathione concentration and redox state is due to a complex interaction between biosynthesis, utilization, degradation, and transport. All these factors are of great importance for understanding the significance of cellular redox balance and its correlation with pathological conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department Odontostomatologic and Specialized Clinical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, Biology and Physics, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy

    Tatiana Armeni & Giovanni Principato

Authors
  1. Tatiana Armeni
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  2. Giovanni Principato
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Correspondence to Giovanni Principato .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Engineering (DII), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Sauro Longhi

  2. Department of Information Engineering (DII), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Andrea Monteriù

  3. Department of Information Engineering (DII), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Alessandro Freddi

  4. Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (D3A), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Lucia Aquilanti

  5. Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, Italy

    Maria Gabriella Ceravolo

  6. Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DISVA), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Oliana Carnevali

  7. Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DISVA), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Mario Giordano

  8. Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, Italy

    Gianluca Moroncini

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Armeni, T., Principato, G. (2020). Glutathione, an Over One Billion Years Ancient Molecule, Is Still Actively Involved in Cell Regulatory Pathways. In: Longhi, S., et al. The First Outstanding 50 Years of “Università Politecnica delle Marche”. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33832-9_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33832-9_28

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