Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6), a bifunctional enzyme with glutathione peroxidase and phospholipase A2 (PLA 2 ) activities, participates in the activation of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) in neutrophils, but the mechanism for this effect is not known. We now demonstrate that Prdx6 is required for agonist-induced NOX2 activation in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVEC) and that the effect requires the PLA 2 activity of Prdx6. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to angiotensin II (Ang II) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate was markedly reduced in perfused lungs and isolated PMVEC from Prdx6 null mice. Rac1 and p47phox , cytosolic components of NOX2, translocated to the endothelial cell membrane after Ang II treatment in wild-type but not Prdx6 null PMVEC. MJ33, an inhibitor of Prdx6 PLA 2 activity, blocked agonist-induced PLA 2 activity and ROS generation in PMVEC by >80%, whereas inhibitors of other PLA 2 s were ineffective. Transfection of Prx6 null cells with wild-type and C47S mutant Prdx6, but not with mutants of the PLA 2 active site (S32A, H26A, and D140A), "rescued" Ang II-induced PLA 2 activity and ROS generation. Ang II treatment of wild-type cells resulted in phosphorylation of Prdx6 and its subsequent translocation from the cytosol to the cell membrane. Phosphorylation as well as PLA 2 activity and ROS generation were markedly reduced by the MAPK inhibitor, U0126. Thus, agonist-induced MAPK activation leads to Prdx6 phosphorylation and translocation to the cell membrane, where its PLA 2 activity facilitates assembly of the NOX2 complex and activation of the oxidase.