Regulation of the C. elegans NADPH Oxidase

Reactive oxygen species are derived from oxygen and produced during microbial infections of mammals. NADPH oxidases, such as DUOX, catalyze the first step in ROS synthesis, forming superoxide and subsequently hydrogen peroxide. C. elegans expresses a DUOX enzyme encoded by the gene bli-3. It is believed that DUOX may be involved in host defenses in C. elegans against S. cerevisiae. Its activity can be measured by hydrogen peroxide production. In this study, a hydrogen peroxide-measuring assay was tested for the future identification of genes that are required for ROS production in C. elegans. In the Amplex Red assay, hydrogen peroxide production increased when worms were infected with S. cerevisiae, suggesting that DUOX expression or activity were induced by infection. Table of