Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1622, USA. finkelt@nih.gov
Living in an oxygenated environment has required the evolution of effective cellular strategies to detect and detoxify metabolites of molecular oxygen known as reactive oxygen species. Here we review evidence that the appropriate and inappropriate production of oxidants, together with the ability of organisms to respond to oxidative stress, is intricately connected to ageing and life span.