Singlet molecular oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) has well-established roles in photosynthetic plants, bacteria and fungi 1-3 , but not in mammals. Chemically generated 1 O 2 oxidizes the amino acid tryptophan to precursors of a key metabolite called N-formylkynurenine 4 , while enzymatic oxidation of tryptophan to N-formylkynurenine is catalyzed by a family of dioxygenases, including indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 5 . Under inflammatory conditions, this hemecontaining enzyme becomes expressed in arterial endothelial cells, where it contributes to the regulation of blood pressure 6 . However, whether indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 forms 1 O 2 and whether this contributes to blood pressure control is unknown. Here we show that arterial indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 regulates blood pressure via formation of 1 O 2 . We observed that in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the enzyme generates 1 O 2 and that this is associated with the stereoselective oxidation of L-tryptophan to a tricyclic hydroperoxide via a previously unrecognized oxidative activation of the dioxygenase activity. The tryptophanderived hydroperoxide acts as a hitherto undiscovered signaling molecule in vivo, which induces arterial relaxation and decreases blood pressure dependent on cysteine residue 42 of protein kinase G1α. Our findings demonstrate a pathophysiological role for 1 O 2 in mammals through formation of an amino acid-derived hydroperoxide that regulates vascular tone and blood pressure under inflammatory conditions. Several small molecules, such as nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) regulate cellular signaling via interaction with proteins containing redox active metals and/or cysteine residues. Of these molecules, nitric oxide, formed from L-arginine by endothelial nitric oxide synthase, is an important regulator of vascular tone 7 . Sustained increases in nitric oxide synthesis by inducible nitric oxide synthase, as observed in pathological settings such as sepsis, are associated with profound hypotension 8 . Paradoxically, inhibitors of the nitric oxide pathway have generally failed to ameliorate severe septic shock 9,10 , suggesting involvement of additional mediators of hypotension.Based on functional similarity with the metabolism of L-arginine by nitric oxide synthase, we 3 reported previously that metabolism of L-tryptophan (Trp) to N-formylkynurenine (NFK) and kynurenine by endothelial indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) ( Fig. 1a) contributes to the regulation of vascular tone and blood pressure in inflammation 6 . We also showed that commercial kynurenine relaxed pre-constricted arteries, which suggested that kynurenine is an endotheliumderived relaxant factor 6 . Although others have since confirmed these findings 11,12 , we noticed that recently purchased kynurenine no longer caused arterial relaxation, and that HPLC-purified kynurenine and NFK also failed to relax naïve mouse arteries ( Fig. 1b). However, purified Trp relaxed pre-constricted mouse abdominal aortas that expressed IDO1, irrespective of whether IDO1 expression was...