EC=1.6.3

Oxygen sensing is essential for homeostasis in all aerobic organisms. A phagocyte-type oxidase, similar to that responsible for the production of large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neutrophil granulocytes, with resultant antimicrobial activity, has been postulated to function in the kidney as an oxygen sensor that regulates the synthesis of erythropoietin in the renal cortex. NOX4 has a role as a redox messenger in the activation of intracellular signaling pathways leading (or contributing) to mitochondriogenesis, cell survival, and differentiation in hematopoietic stem cells. Data suggest that NOX4 provides a novel link between the insulin receptor and the generation of cellular reactive oxygen species that enhances insulin signal transduction.