Peroxiredoxins as molecular triage agents, sacrificing themselves to enhance cell survival during a peroxide attack.

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Day et al. (2012) reveal a surprising benefit of peroxiredoxin inactivation at high H(2)O(2), showing that in Schizosaccharomyces pombe turning off peroxide defenses preserves the pool of reduced thioredoxin for repairing proteins vital to survival.