Molecular Functions of OXR1

OXR1 is known to control the expression of multiple genes involved in oxidative stress, repair of DNA damage, apoptosis, and regulation of the cell cycle in response to damage. In most cases it functions upstream of the regulatory elements known to control these processes. It has been suggested by Yang et al. (Scientific Reports, (2015), 5:17409, DOI: 10.1038/srep17409) that it may function as a sensor of oxidative stress that signals to the transcription factors activating the regulatory functions. We are examining several aspects of OXR1 mechanisms at the molecular level in order to determine which genes show altered expression when OXR1 levels are increased in cells and how it responds to oxidative stress to activate downstream regulatory elements.