Research Division of Biochemistry

The Division of Biochemistry has a long history of research in redox biology. Several projects in the division center around the role of thioredoxin and glutaredoxin systems in health and disease. Another focus is on the synthesis, function and biomedical applications of selenoproteins, i.e. proteins containing a reactive selenocysteine (Sec) residue.

Chemical reactions that selenocysteine (left) and cysteine (right) are involved in.

Enzymatic redox control systems, i.e. regulated reduction and oxidation processes that in turn regulate cellular functions, are crucial for life. Many, if not most, cell functions are linked either directly or indirectly to redox processes. The research carried out in our division is aimed at better understanding basic characteristics of redox biology in health and disease, from structure and function of redox active enzymes to regulation of redox signaling in living cells or organisms.

Our special focus areas of redox biology involve in-depth studies of the thioredoxin and glutaredoxin systems, selenoproteins, redox signaling cascades, cancer therapeutics and antimicrobial therapy. Our methodologies span from all aspects of enzyme and protein characterizations, biochemical assays of redox protein function, techniques of molecular biology and cell biology to animal experiments.

Research groups

Elias Arnér Group
Areas of interest include novel methods of selenoprotein production and their studies, thioredoxin reductases, thioredoxin related protein of 14 kDa, transcription factor regulation, anticancer therapy, redox signaling.