Throughout biological kingdoms, the genetically encoded amino acids cysteine and selenocysteine fulfill many different functions. For instance, their ability to undergo reversible oxidation enables them to receive, carry, and propagate a variety of cellular signals. Alternatively, cysteine residues mediate protein folding, alter protein trafficking, or regulate protein activity. Depending on the context and the signal, oxidation of protein-bound cysteine results in cysteine sulfenic acid, S-nitrosocysteine, persulfide, or disulfide-bond formation. Importantly, cellular cysteine is also integrated into the abundant antioxidant molecule glutathione, which resides in all cell compartments and is fundamental for cell health.

In this special issue, we will present a collection of different cell biological outputs of cysteine/selenocysteine-centered switches. We invite authors to submit both original research and review articles. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Role of reversible cysteine/selenocysteine modifications in the following:

• Signal transduction in health and disease
• Redox regulation of interorganelle communication
• Protein folding and secretion
• Protein degradation and homeostasis
• Membrane translocation and transport
• Oxidative stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis
• Redox homeostasis and antioxidant function
• Metalloproteins and iron metabolism

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijcb/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/ijcb/cyst/ according to the following timetable: