Lemons from Lemonade: Recycling Reactive Oxygen Species : We Beasties

Lemons from Lemonade: Recycling Reactive Oxygen Species : We Beasties

For a long time, researchers have known that macrophages use ROS to cope with bacterial invaders. There are enzymes like inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NADPH oxidase that intentionally make ROS to deal with bacteria. But A West et al have now shown that macrophages can divert the waste stream from mitochondria, recycling these destructive molecules for their bacteriacidal activity.