• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.6-19
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• 2016

Redox signalling comprises the biology of molecular signal transduction mediated by reactive oxygen (or nitrogen) species. By specific and reversible oxidation of redoxsensitive cysteines, many biological processes sense and respond to signals from the intracellular redox environment. Redox signals are therefore important regulators of cellular homeostasis. Recently, it has become apparent that the cellular redox state oscillates in vivo and in vitro, with a period of about one day (circadian). Circadian timekeeping allows cells and organisms to adapt their biology to resonate with the 24-hour cycle of day/night. The importance of this innate biological timekeeping is illustrated by the association of clock disruption with the early onset of several diseases (e.g. type II diabetes, stroke and several forms of cancer). Circadian regulation of cellular redox balance suggests potentially two distinct roles for redox signalling in relation to the cellular clock: one where it is regulated by the clock, and one where it regulates the clock. Here, we introduce the concepts of redox signalling and cellular timekeeping, and then critically appraise the evidence for the reciprocal regulation between cellular redox state and the circadian clock. We conclude there is a substantial body of evidence supporting circadian regulation of cellular redox state, but that it would be premature to conclude that the converse is also true. We therefore propose some approaches that might yield more insight into redox control of cellular timekeeping.

• Proceedings of the Mineralogical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.05a
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• pp.19-19
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• 2000

;Ultramafic xenoliths found in alkali basalts from Jeju-do, Korea are mostly spinel Iherzolites composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel. A subordinate amount of spinel harzburgites and pyroxenites are also found. Temperatures for these xenoliths were estimated from the compositions of coexisting pyroxenes (Wood '||'&'||' Banno 1973; Wells 1977; Bertrand '||'&'||' Mercier 1985; Brey '||'&'||' Kohler 1990), the AI-solubility in orthopyroxene coexisting with olivine and spinel (Sachtleben '||'&'||' Seck 1981; Webb '||'&'||' Wood 1986), and from Fe/Mg partitioning between olivine and spinel (Ballhaus et al. 1991). Temperature estimates from the thermometers by Wells (1977) and Brey and Kohler (1990) are compatible. Average equilibrium temperatures by these two methods for spinel peridotites range from 890 to 1030$^{\circ}$C. Pressures for spinel peridotites were estimated from the geobarometer by Kohler and Brey (1991) derived from the equilibrium Ca content of olivine coexisting with clinopyroxene, and fall within the range of 12.9 to 26.3 kbar. The combination of the thermometer by Brey and Kohler (1990) and the geobarometer by Kohler and Brey (1991) yields P- T estimates for Jeju-do spinel peridotites that fall in experimentally determined spinel lherzolite field in CFMASCr system (O'Neill 1981). These P-T data sets have been used to construct the Quaternary Jeju-do geotherm, which is significantly different from the conventional conductive geotherm. The xenolith-derived geotherm has a higher T gradient at low P (13 kbar) than at high P, which may be due to perturbation of the conductive heat flow by magma underplating or overplating at the crust-mantle boundary. Temperature estimates and statistics on the xenoliths indicate that the crust/mantle boundary in Jeju-do lies at about 11 kbar (~39 km). Spinellherzolite is inferred as a main constituent rock of the uppermost lithospheric mantle beneath Jeju-do. Pyroxenites were intercalated in peridotites in similar depth and temperature as re-equilibrated veins or lens.