Redox metabolites such as reactive oxygen species and reactive sulfur species are produced as a byproduct of aerobic metabolism and can be either beneficial or detrimental depending on cellular context. This Focus issue features a collection of articles exploring emerging research areas in redox biology.

We asked a collection of redox biologists, “What do you think are the most exciting frontiers or the most needed developments in redox biology?” — here is what they said.

This Review discusses current research and future directions in protein persulfidation and polysulfidation to enable their full potential in redox-based therapeutic efforts.

This study provides a chemical framework of sulfur, defining the cysteine redoxome, linking thiol reactivity with oxoform kinetics/dynamics to proteome-wide mapping, occupancy and flux, and revealing cysteine oxidation as a programmable regulatory code.

Crop losses from pests threaten global food security. Here, the authors survey the biosynthetic repertoire of hypocrealean fungi, identifying over 5,200 biosynthetic gene clusters, most encoding unknown products, and linking several to bioactive molecules for sustainable pest control.

The expression profile of tubulin isotypes has been related to taxane resistance in cancer cells. This study identified a tubulin isotype-modulated allosteric network that governs paclitaxel-binding affinities and affects paclitaxel efficacy.

CenSpark is a dual-ligand fluorescent probe binding simultaneously inner and outer microtubule sites, a configuration unique to doublet and triplet microtubules, enabling selective live imaging of centrioles and cilia across species.

This study reveals how a group I intron from an Anabaena pre-tRNA undergoes structural changes to splice RNA and form circular RNA. The structures define key catalytic steps and offer a blueprint for engineering more efficient circular RNA systems.

Sulfation helps shape cartilage, bone and other biological functions. Here, the authors identify MESH1 as the 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate-degrading enzyme that controls sulfation in animals and show that blocking MESH1 restores sulfation-linked defects, revealing a potential therapeutic target.

This study elucidates the structural mechanism of HEP-50768, a novel MRGPRX4 inverse agonist, and demonstrates its potent anti-itch efficacy and favorable safety in preclinical models, positioning it as a promising therapeutic for chronic pruritus.

Redox metabolites such as reactive oxygen species and reactive sulfur species are produced as a byproduct of aerobic metabolism and can be either beneficial or detrimental depending on cellular context. This Focus issue features a collection of articles exploring emerging research areas in redox biology.

We asked a collection of redox biologists, “What do you think are the most exciting frontiers or the most needed developments in redox biology?” — here is what they said.

This Comment discusses how an integrative cross-disciplinary research program in China aims to link RNA biology with translational drug discovery to accelerate RNA innovation and contribute to a global shift toward rational, RNA-centered therapeutics.