OxyR: a molecular code for redox-related signaling

Current methods in quantifying ROS and oxidative damage in Caenorhabditis elegans and other model organism of aging

Accumulation of oxidative damage has been proposed to be causal to aging as defined by the Free radical Theory of Aging, which has been subject to recent debate. However, a major hurdle in understanding the biological roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling and their oxidative damage has been the widely recognized methodological difficulties to measure oxidative damage and ROS in vivo. In this review we describe the various novel approaches that have recently been developed to overcome this challenge in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which is a paradigm invertebrate model organism for studying aging and age-related disease given its short lifespan, easy genetics and transparency. In addition, we also discuss these methods in other important model organisms of aging, including the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster and the mouse Mus musculus. After an introduction on the various ROS that can be encountered, we discuss approaches for the detection and quantification of ROS and ROS damage of DNA, lipids and proteins, highlighting examples from literature to demonstrate the applicability and caveats of each method. As will become clear, combinations of approaches have now become possible and will prove essential for thoroughly understanding the involvement of ROS and ROS damage in the biology of aging and disease.

Immunofluorescent detection of S-nitrosoproteins in cell culture

The role of S-nitrosylation in cellular signaling has been clearly demonstrated. There a number of mechanisms whereby this post-translational modification can occur and the number of protein targets continue to expand. The need to be able to monitor when this important signaling process occurs within cells is increasingly important. Previously we have identified immunohistochemistry approaches effective for monitoring S-nitrosylation within fixed tissue. Within this paper we show how these techniques can be adapted to use in a cell culture system using immunofluorescence. We have used this protocol to detect S-nitrosoprotein formation within LPS stimulated microglial cells using both transformed and primary cultured cells.

OxyR acts as a transcriptional repressor of hydrogen peroxide-inducible antioxidant genes in Corynebacterium glutamicum R

OxyR, a LysR-type transcriptional regulator, has been established as a redox-responsive activator of antioxidant genes in bacteria. This study shows that OxyR acts as a transcriptional repressor of katA, dps, ftn and cydA in Corynebacterium glutamicum R. katA encodes H2O2-detoxifing enzyme catalase, dps and ftn are implicated in iron homeostasis and cydA encodes a subunit of cytochrome bd oxidase. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed that expression of katA and dps, but not of ftn and cydA, was induced by H2O2. Disruption of the oxyR gene encoding OxyR resulted in a marked increase in katA and dps mRNAs to a level higher than that induced by H2O2, and the oxyR-deficient mutant showed a H2O2-resistant phenotype. This is in contrast to the conventional OxyR-dependent regulatory model. ftn and cydA were also upregulated by oxyR disruption but to a smaller extent. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that the OxyR protein specifically binds to all four upstream regions of the respective genes under reducing conditions. We observed that the oxidized form of OxyR similarly bound to not only the target promoter regions, but also nonspecific DNA fragments. Based on these findings, we propose that the transcriptional repression by OxyR is alleviated under oxidative stress conditions in a titration mechanism due to the decreased specificity of its DNA-binding activity. DNase I footprinting analyses revealed that the OxyR-binding site in the four target promoters is ~ 50 bp in length and has multiple T-N11-A motifs, a feature of LysR-type transcriptional regulators, but no significant overall sequence conservation.

Principles in redox signaling: from chemistry to functional significance

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are currently considered not only harmful byproducts of aerobic respiration but also critical mediators of redox signaling. The molecules and the chemical principles sustaining the network of cellular redox regulated processes are described. Special emphasis is placed on hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), now considered as acting as a second messenger, and on sulfhydryl groups, which are the direct targets of the oxidant signal. Cysteine residues of some proteins, therefore, act as sensors of redox conditions and are oxidized in a reversible reaction. In particular, the formation of sulfenic acid and disulfide, the initial steps of thiol oxidation, are described in detail. The many cell pathways involved in reactive oxygen species formation are reported. Central to redox signaling processes are the glutathione and thioredoxin systems controlling H(2)O(2) levels and, hence, the thiol/disulfide balance. Lastly, some of the most important redox-regulated processes involving specific enzymes and organelles are described. The redox signaling area of research is rapidly expanding, and future work will examine new pathways and clarify their importance in cellular pathophysiology.

S-bacillithiolation protects conserved and essential proteins against hypochlorite stress in firmicutes bacteria

AIMS

Protein S-bacillithiolations are mixed disulfides between protein thiols and the bacillithiol (BSH) redox buffer that occur in response to NaOCl in Bacillus subtilis. We used BSH-specific immunoblots, shotgun liquid chromatography (LC)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis and redox proteomics to characterize the S-bacillithiolomes of B. subtilis, B. megaterium, B. pumilus, B. amyloliquefaciens, and Staphylococcus carnosus and also measured the BSH/oxidized bacillithiol disulfide (BSSB) redox ratio after NaOCl stress.

RESULTS

In total, 54 proteins with characteristic S-bacillithiolation (SSB) sites were identified, including 29 unique proteins and eight proteins conserved in two or more of these bacteria. The methionine synthase MetE is the most abundant S-bacillithiolated protein in Bacillus species after NaOCl exposure. Further, S-bacillithiolated proteins include the translation elongation factor EF-Tu and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ThrS), the DnaK and GrpE chaperones, the two-Cys peroxiredoxin YkuU, the ferredoxin-NADP(+) oxidoreductase YumC, the inorganic pyrophosphatase PpaC, the inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase GuaB, proteins involved in thiamine biosynthesis (ThiG and ThiM), queuosine biosynthesis (QueF), biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids (AroA and AroE), serine (SerA), branched-chain amino acids (YwaA), and homocysteine (LuxS and MetI). The thioredoxin-like proteins, YphP and YtxJ, are S-bacillithiolated at their active sites, suggesting a function in the de-bacillithiolation process. S-bacillithiolation is accompanied by a two-fold increase in the BSSB level and a decrease in the BSH/BSSB redox ratio in B. subtilis.

INNOVATION

Many essential and conserved proteins, including the dominant MetE, were identified in the S-bacillithiolome of different Bacillus species and S. carnosus using shotgun-LC-MS/MS analyses.

CONCLUSION

S-bacillithiolation is a widespread redox control mechanism among Firmicutes bacteria that protects conserved metabolic enzymes and essential proteins against overoxidation.

S-nitrosation of glutathione transferase p1-1 is controlled by the conformation of a dynamic active site helix

S-Nitrosation is a post-translational modification of protein cysteine residues, which occurs in response to cellular oxidative stress. Although it is increasingly being linked to physiologically important processes, the molecular basis for protein regulation by this modification remains poorly understood. We used transient kinetic methods to determine a minimal mechanism for spontaneous S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO)-mediated transnitrosation of human glutathione transferase (GST) P1-1, a major detoxification enzyme and key regulator of cell proliferation. Cys(47) of GSTP1-1 is S-nitrosated in two steps, with the chemical step limited by a pre-equilibrium between the open and closed conformations of helix α2 at the active site. Cys(101), in contrast, is S-nitrosated in a single step but is subject to negative cooperativity due to steric hindrance at the dimer interface. Despite the presence of a GSNO binding site at the active site of GSTP1-1, isothermal titration calorimetry as well as nitrosation experiments using S-nitrosocysteine demonstrate that GSNO binding does not precede S-nitrosation of GSTP1-1. Kinetics experiments using the cellular reductant glutathione show that Cys(101)-NO is substantially more resistant to denitrosation than Cys(47)-NO, suggesting a potential role for Cys(101) in long term nitric oxide storage or transfer. These results constitute the first report of the molecular mechanism of spontaneous protein transnitrosation, providing insight into the post-translational control of GSTP1-1 as well as the process of protein transnitrosation in general.

Reversible thiol oxidation in the H2O2-dependent activation of the transcription factor Pap1

Reversible thiol oxidation is both a mark of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) toxicity and an initiator of signalling events. H2O2 sensors contain exposed and reactive cysteine residues, which become transiently oxidized as an activation mechanism. In fission yeast, the Pap1 (pombe AP-1) transcription factor is normally cytosolic, and upon H2O2 stress it undergoes post-translational modifications impairing its nuclear export; genetic evidences suggested the formation of a disulphide bond in Pap1 as a triggering activation event. Nuclear Pap1 is then recruited to about 50-80 promoters and induces an adaptation response. We have now dissected the role of all seven cysteine residues in Pap1 using genetic and proteomic techniques, and we show that four of them are required for Pap1 to be activated by H2O2 stress. Thus, mutants lacking each one of these cysteine residues display sensitivity to peroxides. Furthermore, these mutant proteins do not become oxidized by H2O2 and cannot bind to promoters or trigger the Pap1-dependent gene expression program. We also demonstrate, by proteomic analysis of reduced and oxidized Pap1, that these four cysteine residues are reversibly oxidized upon H2O2 stress. Our study suggests that not just one but probably two disulphide bonds are required to promote the important conformational changes that trigger Pap1 activation and nuclear accumulation.

HyPer-3: a genetically encoded H(2)O(2) probe with improved performance for ratiometric and fluorescence lifetime imaging

High-performance sensors for reactive oxygen species are instrumental to monitor dynamic events in cells and organisms. Here, we present HyPer-3, a genetically encoded fluorescent indicator for intracellular H2O2 exhibiting improved performance with respect to response time and speed. HyPer-3 has an expanded dynamic range compared to HyPer and significantly faster oxidation/reduction dynamics compared to HyPer-2. We demonstrate this performance by in vivo imaging of tissue-scale H2O2 gradients in zebrafish larvae. Moreover, HyPer-3 was successfully employed for single-wavelength fluorescent lifetime imaging of H2O2 levels both in vitro and in vivo.

The MPK6-ERF6-ROS-responsive cis-acting Element7/GCC box complex modulates oxidative gene transcription and the oxidative response in Arabidopsis

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been characterized as both important signaling molecules and universal stressors that mediate many developmental and physiological responses. So far, details of the transcriptional mechanism of ROS-responsive genes are largely unknown. In the study reported here, we identified seven potential ROS-responsive cis-acting elements (ROSEs) from the promoters of genes up-regulated by ROS in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). We also found that the APETALA2/ethylene-responsive element binding factor6 (ERF6) could bind specifically to the ROSE7/GCC box. Coexpression of ERF6 enhanced luciferase activity driven by ROSE7. The deficient mutants of ERF6 showed growth retardation and higher sensitivity to photodamage. ERF6 interacted physically with mitogen-activated protein kinase6 (MPK6) and also served as a substrate of MPK6. MPK6-mediated ERF6 phosphorylation at both serine-266 and serine-269 affected the dynamic alternation of the ERF6 protein, which resulted in changes in ROS-responsive gene transcription. These data might provide new insight into the mechanisms that regulate ROS-responsive gene transcription via a complex of MPK6, ERF6, and the ROSE7/GCC box under oxidative stress or a fluctuating light environment.

Oxidation-sensing regulator AbfR regulates oxidative stress responses, bacterial aggregation, and biofilm formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a notorious human pathogen that is the major cause of infections related to implanted medical devices. Although redox regulation involving reactive oxygen species is now recognized as a critical component of bacterial signaling and regulation, the mechanism by which S. epidermidis senses and responds to oxidative stress remains largely unknown. Here, we report a new oxidation-sensing regulator, AbfR (aggregation and biofilm formation regulator) in S. epidermidis. An environment of oxidative stress mediated by H(2)O(2) or cumene hydroperoxide markedly up-regulates the expression of abfR gene. Similar to Pseudomonas aeruginosa OspR, AbfR is negatively autoregulated and dissociates from promoter DNA in the presence of oxidants. In vivo and in vitro analyses indicate that Cys-13 and Cys-116 are the key functional residues to form an intersubunit disulfide bond upon oxidation in AbfR. We further show that deletion of abfR leads to a significant induction in H(2)O(2) or cumene hydroperoxide resistance, enhanced bacterial aggregation, and reduced biofilm formation. These effects are mediated by derepression of SERP2195 and gpxA-2 that lie immediately downstream of the abfR gene in the same operon. Thus, oxidative stress likely acts as a signal to modulate S. epidermidis key virulence properties through AbfR.

Direct DNA Lesion Reversal and Excision Repair in Escherichia coli

Cellular DNA is constantly challenged by various endogenous and exogenous genotoxic factors that inevitably lead to DNA damage: structural and chemical modifications of primary DNA sequence. These DNA lesions are either cytotoxic, because they block DNA replication and transcription, or mutagenic due to the miscoding nature of the DNA modifications, or both, and are believed to contribute to cell lethality and mutagenesis. Studies on DNA repair in Escherichia coli spearheaded formulation of principal strategies to counteract DNA damage and mutagenesis, such as: direct lesion reversal, DNA excision repair, mismatch and recombinational repair and genotoxic stress signalling pathways. These DNA repair pathways are universal among cellular organisms. Mechanistic principles used for each repair strategies are fundamentally different. Direct lesion reversal removes DNA damage without need for excision and de novo DNA synthesis, whereas DNA excision repair that includes pathways such as base excision, nucleotide excision, alternative excision and mismatch repair, proceeds through phosphodiester bond breakage, de novo DNA synthesis and ligation. Cell signalling systems, such as adaptive and oxidative stress responses, although not DNA repair pathways per se, are nevertheless essential to counteract DNA damage and mutagenesis. The present review focuses on the nature of DNA damage, direct lesion reversal, DNA excision repair pathways and adaptive and oxidative stress responses in E. coli.

S-nitrosothiols and the S-nitrosoproteome of the cardiovascular system

SIGNIFICANCE

Since their discovery in the early 1990's, S-nitrosylated proteins have been increasingly recognized as important determinants of many biochemical processes. Specifically, S-nitrosothiols in the cardiovascular system exert many actions, including promoting vasodilation, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and regulating Ca(2+) channel function that influences myocyte contractility and electrophysiologic stability.

RECENT ADVANCES

Contemporary developments in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods, the development of biotin- and His-tag switch assays, and the availability of cyanide dye-labeling for S-nitrosothiol detection in vitro have increased significantly the identification of a number of cardiovascular protein targets of S-nitrosylation in vivo.

CRITICAL ISSUES

Recent analyses using modern S-nitrosothiol detection techniques have revealed the mechanistic significance of S-nitrosylation to the pathophysiology of numerous cardiovascular diseases, including essential hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure, among others.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Despite enhanced insight into S-nitrosothiol biochemistry, translating these advances into beneficial pharmacotherapies for patients with cardiovascular diseases remains a primary as-yet unmet goal for investigators within the field.

Nitrosothiols in bacterial pathogens and pathogenesis

SIGNIFICANCE

The formation and degradation of S-nitrosothiols (SNOs) are important mechanisms of post-translational protein modification and appear to be ubiquitous in biology. These processes play well-characterized roles in eukaryotic cells, including a variety of pathologies and in relation to chronic conditions. We know little of the roles of these processes in pathogenic and other bacteria.

RECENT ADVANCES

It is clear, mostly from growth and transcriptional studies, that bacteria sense and respond to exogenous SNOs. These responses are phenotypically and mechanistically distinct from the responses of bacteria to nitric oxide (NO) and NO-releasing agents, as well as peroxynitrite. Small SNOs, such as S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), are accumulated by bacteria with the result that intracellular S-nitrosoproteins (the 'S-nitrosoproteome') are detectable. Recently, conditions for endogenous SNO formation in enterobacteria have been described.

CRITICAL ISSUES

The propensity of intracellular proteins to form SNOs is presumably constrained by the same rules of selectivity that have been discovered in eukaryotic systems, but is also influenced by uniquely bacterial NO detoxification systems, exemplified by the flavohemoglobin Hmp in enterobacteria and NO reductase of meningococci. Furthermore, the bacterial expression of such proteins impacts upon the formation of SNOs in mammalian hosts.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

The impairment during bacterial infections of specific SNO events in the mammalian host is of considerable interest in the context of proteins involved in innate immunity and intracellular signalling. In bacteria, numerous mechanisms of S-nitrosothiol degradation have been reported (e.g., GSNO reductase); others are thought to operate, based on consideration of their mammalian counterparts. The nitrosothiols of bacteria and particularly of pathogens warrant more intensive investigation.

Redox-dependent functional switching of plant proteins accompanying with their structural changes

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be generated during the course of normal aerobic metabolism or when an organism is exposed to a variety of stress conditions. It can cause a widespread damage to intracellular macromolecules and play a causal role in many degenerative diseases. Like other aerobic organisms plants are also equipped with a wide range of antioxidant redox proteins, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutaredoxin, thioredoxin (Trx), Trx reductase, protein disulfide reductase, and other kinds of peroxidases that are usually significant in preventing harmful effects of ROS. To defend plant cells in response to stimuli, a part of redox proteins have shown to play multiple functions through the post-translational modification with a redox-dependent manner. For the alternative switching of their cellular functions, the redox proteins change their protein structures from low molecular weight to high molecular weight (HMW) protein complexes depending on the external stress. The HMW proteins are reported to act as molecular chaperone, which enable the plants to enhance their stress tolerance. In addition, some transcription factors and co-activators have function responding to environmental stresses by redox-dependent structural changes. This review describes the molecular mechanism and physiological significance of the redox proteins, transcription factors and co-activators to protect the plants from environmental stresses through the redox-dependent structural and functional switching of the plant redox proteins.

Catalases promote resistance of oxidative stress in Vibrio cholerae

Oxidative stress is a major challenge faced by bacteria. Many bacteria control oxidative stress resistance pathways through the transcriptional regulator OxyR. The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative bacterium that is the causative agent of cholera. V. cholerae lives in both aquatic environments and human small intestines, two environments in which it encounters reactive oxygen species (ROS). To study how V. cholerae responds to oxidative stress, we constructed an in-frame oxyR deletion mutant. We found that this mutant was not only sensitive to H₂O₂, but also displayed a growth defect when diluted in rich medium. Further study showed that two catalases, KatG and KatB, either when expressed in living cells, present in culture supernatants, or added as purified recombinant proteins, could rescue the oxyR growth defect. Furthermore, although it could colonize infant mouse intestines similar to that of wildtype, the oxyR mutant was defective in zebrafish intestinal colonization. Alternatively, co-infection with wildtype, but not katG-katB deletion mutants, greatly enhanced oxyR mutant colonization. Our study suggests that OxyR in V. cholerae is critical for antioxidant defense and that the organism is capable of scavenging environmental ROS to facilitate population growth.

Metals, oxidative stress and neurodegeneration: a focus on iron, manganese and mercury

Essential metals are crucial for the maintenance of cell homeostasis. Among the 23 elements that have known physiological functions in humans, 12 are metals, including iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn). Nevertheless, excessive exposure to these metals may lead to pathological conditions, including neurodegeneration. Similarly, exposure to metals that do not have known biological functions, such as mercury (Hg), also present great health concerns. This review focuses on the neurodegenerative mechanisms and effects of Fe, Mn and Hg. Oxidative stress (OS), particularly in mitochondria, is a common feature of Fe, Mn and Hg toxicity. However, the primary molecular targets triggering OS are distinct. Free cationic iron is a potent pro-oxidant and can initiate a set of reactions that form extremely reactive products, such as OH. Mn can oxidize dopamine (DA), generating reactive species and also affect mitochondrial function, leading to accumulation of metabolites and culminating with OS. Cationic Hg forms have strong affinity for nucleophiles, such as -SH and -SeH. Therefore, they target critical thiol- and selenol-molecules with antioxidant properties. Finally, we address the main sources of exposure to these metals, their transport mechanisms into the brain, and therapeutic modalities to mitigate their neurotoxic effects.

Reactive oxygen species-induced actin glutathionylation controls actin dynamics in neutrophils

The regulation of actin dynamics is pivotal for cellular processes such as cell adhesion, migration, and phagocytosis and thus is crucial for neutrophils to fulfill their roles in innate immunity. Many factors have been implicated in signal-induced actin polymerization, but the essential nature of the potential negative modulators are still poorly understood. Here we report that NADPH oxidase-dependent physiologically generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) negatively regulate actin polymerization in stimulated neutrophils via driving reversible actin glutathionylation. Disruption of glutaredoxin 1 (Grx1), an enzyme that catalyzes actin deglutathionylation, increased actin glutathionylation, attenuated actin polymerization, and consequently impaired neutrophil polarization, chemotaxis, adhesion, and phagocytosis. Consistently, Grx1-deficient murine neutrophils showed impaired in vivo recruitment to sites of inflammation and reduced bactericidal capability. Together, these results present a physiological role for glutaredoxin and ROS- induced reversible actin glutathionylation in regulation of actin dynamics in neutrophils.

Redox active thiol sensors of oxidative and nitrosative stress

SIGNIFICANCE

The reactivity of the thiol in the side chain of cysteines is exploited by bacterial regulatory proteins that sense and respond to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

RECENT ADVANCES

Charged residues and helix dipoles diminish the pKa of redox active cysteines, resulting in a thiolate that is stabilized by neighboring polar amino acids. The reaction of peroxides with thiolates generates a sulfenic acid (-SOH) intermediate that often gives rise to a reversible disulfide bond. Peroxide-induced intramolecular and intermolecular disulfides and intermolecular mixed disulfides modulate the signaling activity of members of the LysR/OxyR, MarR/OhrR, and RsrA family of transcriptional regulators. Thiol-dependent regulators also help bacteria resist the nitrosative and nitroxidative stress. -SOHs, mixed disulfides, and S-nitrosothiols are some of the post-translational modifications induced by nitrogen oxides in the thiol groups of OxyR and SsrB bacterial regulatory proteins. Sulfenylation, disulfide bond formation, S-thiolation, and S-nitrosylation are reversible modifications amenable to feedback regulation by antioxidant and antinitrosative repair systems. The structural and functional changes engaged in the thiol-dependent sensing of reactive species have been adopted by several regulators to foster bacterial virulence during exposure to products of NADPH phagocyte oxidase and inducible nitric oxide synthase.

CRITICAL ISSUES

Investigations with LysR/OxyR, MarR/OhrR, and RsrA family members have helped in an understanding of the mechanisms by which thiols in regulatory proteins react with reactive species, thereby activating antioxidant and antinitrosative gene expression.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

To define the determinants that provide selectivity of redox active thiolates for some reactive species but not others is an important challenge for future investigations.

Glutathione analogs in prokaryotes

BACKGROUND

Oxygen is both essential and toxic to all forms of aerobic life and the chemical versatility and reactivity of thiols play a key role in both aspects. Cysteine thiol groups have key catalytic functions in enzymes but are readily damaged by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Low-molecular-weight thiols provide protective buffers against the hazards of ROS toxicity. Glutathione is the small protective thiol in nearly all eukaryotes but in prokaryotes the situation is far more complex.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

This review provides an introduction to the diversity of low-molecular-weight thiol protective systems in bacteria. The topics covered include the limitations of cysteine as a protector, the multiple origins and distribution of glutathione biosynthesis, mycothiol biosynthesis and function in Actinobacteria, recent discoveries involving bacillithiol found in Firmicutes, new insights on the biosynthesis and distribution of ergothioneine, and the potential protective roles played by coenzyme A and other thiols.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

Bacteria have evolved a diverse collection of low-molecular-weight protective thiols to deal with oxygen toxicity and environmental challenges. Our understanding of how many of these thiols are produced and utilized is still at an early stage.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Extensive diversity existed among prokaryotes prior to evolution of the cyanobacteria and the development of an oxidizing atmosphere. Bacteria that managed to adapt to life under oxygen evolved, or acquired, the ability to produce a variety of small thiols for protection against the hazards of aerobic metabolism. Many pathogenic prokaryotes depend upon novel thiol protection systems that may provide targets for new antibacterial agents. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Cellular functions of glutathione.

Nuclear glutathione

Glutathione (GSH) is a linchpin of cellular defences in plants and animals with physiologically-important roles in the protection of cells from biotic and abiotic stresses. Moreover, glutathione participates in numerous metabolic and cell signalling processes including protein synthesis and amino acid transport, DNA repair and the control of cell division and cell suicide programmes. While it is has long been appreciated that cellular glutathione homeostasis is regulated by factors such as synthesis, degradation, transport, and redox turnover, relatively little attention has been paid to the influence of the intracellular partitioning on glutathione and its implications for the regulation of cell functions and signalling. We focus here on the functions of glutathione in the nucleus, particularly in relation to physiological processes such as the cell cycle and cell death. The sequestration of GSH in the nucleus of proliferating animal and plant cells suggests that common redox mechanisms exist for DNA regulation in G1 and mitosis in all eukaryotes. We propose that glutathione acts as "redox sensor" at the onset of DNA synthesis with roles in maintaining the nuclear architecture by providing the appropriate redox environment for the DNA replication and safeguarding DNA integrity. In addition, nuclear GSH may be involved in epigenetic phenomena and in the control of nuclear protein degradation by nuclear proteasome. Moreover, by increasing the nuclear GSH pool and reducing disulfide bonds on nuclear proteins at the onset of cell proliferation, an appropriate redox environment is generated for the stimulation of chromatin decompaction. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Cellular functions of glutathione.

ROS homeostasis during development: an evolutionary conserved strategy

The balance between cellular proliferation and differentiation is a key aspect of development in multicellular organisms. Recent studies on Arabidopsis roots revealed distinct roles for different reactive oxygen species (ROS) in these processes. Modulation of the balance between ROS in proliferating cells and elongating cells is controlled at least in part at the transcriptional level. The effect of ROS on proliferation and differentiation is not specific for plants but appears to be conserved between prokaryotic and eukaryotic life forms. The ways in which ROS is received and how it affects cellular functioning is discussed from an evolutionary point of view. The different redox-sensing mechanisms that evolved ultimately result in the activation of gene regulatory networks that control cellular fate and decision-making. This review highlights the potential common origin of ROS sensing, indicating that organisms evolved similar strategies for utilizing ROS during development, and discusses ROS as an ancient universal developmental regulator.

Bacterial mechanisms of reversible protein S-thiolation: structural and mechanistic insights into mycoredoxins

Mycobacteria produce millimolar concentrations of mycothiol (MSH) as their major low molecular weight thiol redox buffer. MSH-deficient mutants display increased sensitivity towards reactive oxygen, nitrogen and electrophilic species as well as alkylating agents and antibiotics. MSH is maintained in its reduced thiol state by the NADPH-dependent mycothiol disulphide reductase (Mtr). However, the redoxin that uses the MSH/Mtr/NADPH pathway for reduction of MSH-mixed protein disulphides, formed during oxidative stress, has long remained unknown. In this issue, Van Laer et al. report that MSH provides the reducing power for mycoredoxin-1 (Mrx1) in reduction of synthetic MSH-mixed disulphides. The reduced (dithiol) and oxidized (disulphide) solution structures of Mrx1 have been solved by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR time course experiments have also demonstrated the transient S-mycothiolation of the active site Cys14 of oxidized Mrx1 during reduction by the MSH/Mtr/NADPH electron pathway. The paper opens a new era of research to identify S-mycothiolated Mrx1 substrates and the function of MSH in redox regulation and virulence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Activity of the tetrapyrrole regulator CrtJ is controlled by oxidation of a redox active cysteine located in the DNA binding domain

CrtJ from Rhodobacter capsulatus is a regulator of genes involved in the biosynthesis of haem, bacteriochlorophyll, carotenoids as well as structural proteins of the light harvesting-II complex. Fluorescence anisotropy-based DNA-binding analysis demonstrates that oxidized CrtJ exhibits ~20-fold increase in binding affinity over that of reduced CrtJ. Liquid chromatography electrospray tandem ionization mass spectrometric analysis using DAz-2, a sulfenic acid (-SOH)-specific probe, demonstrates that exposure of CrtJ to oxygen or to hydrogen peroxide leads to significant accumulation of a sulfenic acid derivative of Cys420 which is located in the helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif. In vivo labelling with 4-(3-azidopropyl)cyclohexane-1,3-dione (DAz-2) shows that Cys420 also forms a sulfenic acid modification in vivo when cells are exposed to oxygen. Moreover, a Cys420 to Ala mutation leads to a ~60-fold reduction of DNA binding activity while a Cys to Ser substitution at position 420 that mimics a cysteine sulfenic acid results in a ~4-fold increase in DNA binding activity. These results provide the first example where sulfenic acid oxidation of a cysteine in a HTH-motif leads to differential effects on gene expression.

Dps biomineralizing proteins: multifunctional architects of nature

Dps proteins are the structural relatives of bacterioferritins and ferritins ubiquitously present in the bacterial and archaeal kingdoms. The ball-shaped enzymes play important roles in the detoxification of ROS (reactive oxygen species), in iron scavenging to prevent Fenton reactions and in the mechanical protection of DNA. Detoxification of ROS and iron chaperoning represent the most archetypical functions of dodecameric Dps enzymes. Recent crystallographic studies of these dodecameric complexes have unravelled species-dependent mechanisms of iron uptake into the hollow spheres. Subsequent functions in iron oxidation at ferroxidase centres are highly conserved among bacteria. Final nucleation of iron as iron oxide nanoparticles has been demonstrated to originate at acidic residues located on the inner surface. Some Dps enzymes are also implicated in newly observed catalytic functions related to the formation of molecules playing roles in bacterium–host cell communication. Most recently, Dps complexes are attracting attention in semiconductor science as biomimetic tools for the technical production of the smallest metal-based quantum nanodots used in nanotechnological approaches, such as memory storage or solar cell development.

Peroxide-sensing transcriptional regulators in bacteria

The ability to maintain intracellular concentrations of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) within safe limits is essential for all aerobic life forms. In bacteria, as well as other organisms, ROS are produced during the normal course of aerobic metabolism, necessitating the constitutive expression of ROS scavenging systems. However, bacteria can also experience transient high-level exposure to ROS derived either from external sources, such as the host defense response, or as a secondary effect of other seemingly unrelated environmental stresses. Consequently, transcriptional regulators have evolved to sense the levels of ROS and coordinate the appropriate oxidative stress response. Three well-studied examples of these are the peroxide responsive regulators OxyR, PerR, and OhrR. OxyR and PerR are sensors of primarily H(2)O(2), while OhrR senses organic peroxide (ROOH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). OxyR and OhrR sense oxidants by means of the reversible oxidation of specific cysteine residues. In contrast, PerR senses H(2)O(2) via the Fe-catalyzed oxidation of histidine residues. These transcription regulators also influence complex biological phenomena, such as biofilm formation, the evasion of host immune responses, and antibiotic resistance via the direct regulation of specific proteins.

S-nitrosylation signaling in Escherichia coli

Most bacteria generate nitric oxide (NO) either aerobically by NO synthases or anaerobically from nitrite. Far from being a mere by-product of nitrate respiration, bacterial NO has diverse physiological roles. Many proteins undergo NO-mediated posttranslational modification (S-nitrosylation) in anaerobically grown Escherichia coli. The regulation of one such protein, OxyR, represents a redox signaling paradigm in which the same transcription factor controls different protective genes depending on its S-nitrosylation versus S-oxidation status. We discuss a structural model that may explain the remarkable stability and specificity of OxyR S-nitrosylation.

Endogenous protein S-Nitrosylation in E. coli: regulation by OxyR

Endogenous S-nitrosylation of proteins, a principal mechanism of cellular signaling in eukaryotes, has not been observed in microbes. We report that protein S-nitrosylation is an obligate concomitant of anaerobic respiration on nitrate in Escherichia coli. Endogenous S-nitrosylation during anaerobic respiration is controlled by the transcription factor OxyR, previously thought to operate only under aerobic conditions. Deletion of OxyR resulted in large increases in protein S-nitrosylation, and S-nitrosylation of OxyR induced transcription from a regulon that is distinct from the regulon induced by OxyR oxidation. Furthermore, products unique to the anaerobic regulon protected against S-nitrosothiols, and anaerobic growth of E. coli lacking OxyR was impaired on nitrate. Thus, OxyR serves as a master regulator of S-nitrosylation, and alternative posttranslational modifications of OxyR control distinct transcriptional responses.

Structural mechanism of disulphide bond-mediated redox switches

The oxidation of cysteine sulphydryl in proteins produces sulphenic acid that can form a reversible disulphide bond with another cysteine. The disulphide bond formation often triggers switches in protein structure and activity, especially when the distance between the two cysteine sulphur atoms is longer than the resulting disulphide bond distance. As an early example for the reversible disulphide bond-mediated functional switches, the reduced and oxidized forms of the bacterial transcription factor OxyR were characterized by X-ray crystallography. Recently, the Drosophila vision signalling protein, the association of inactivation-no-afterpotential D (INAD) was analysed by structural and functional methods. The two conserved cysteines of INAD were found to cycle between reduced and oxidized states during the light signal processing in Drosophila eyes, which was achieved by conformation dependent modulation of the disulphide bond redox potential. The production of the hypertension control peptide angiotensins was also shown to be controlled by the reversible disulphide bond in the precursor protein angiotensinogen. The crystal structure of the complex of angiotensiongen with its processing enzyme renin elucidated the role of the disulphide bond in stabilizing the precursor-enzyme complex facilitating the production of angiotensins. The increasing importance of the disulphide bond-mediated redox switches in normal and diseased states has implications in the development of novel antioxidant-based therapeutic approaches.

Staphylococcus aureus CymR is a new thiol-based oxidation-sensing regulator of stress resistance and oxidative response

As a human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus must cope with oxidative stress generated by the human immune system. Here, we report that CymR utilizes its sole Cys-25 to sense oxidative stress. Oxidation followed by thiolation of this cysteine residue leads to dissociation of CymR from its cognate promoter DNA. In contrast, the DNA binding of the CymRC25S mutant was insensitive to oxidation and thiolation, suggesting that CymR senses oxidative stress through oxidation of its sole cysteine to form a mixed disulfide with low molecular weight thiols. The determined crystal structures of the reduced and oxidized forms of CymR revealed that Cys-25 is oxidized to Cys-25-SOH in the presence of H(2)O(2). Deletion of cymR reduced the resistance of S. aureus to oxidative stresses, and the resistance was restored by expressing a C25S mutant copy of cymR. In a C25S substitution mutant, the expression of two genes, tcyP and mccB, was constitutively repressed and did not respond to hydrogen peroxide stress, whereas the expression of the genes were highly induced under oxidative stress in a wild-type strain, indicating the critical role of Cys-25 in redox signaling in vivo. Thus, CymR is another master regulator that senses oxidative stress and connects stress responses to virulence regulation in S. aureus.

Redox regulation in photosynthetic organisms: focus on glutathionylation

SIGNIFICANCE

In photosynthetic organisms, besides the well-established disulfide/dithiol exchange reactions specifically controlled by thioredoxins (TRXs), protein S-glutathionylation is emerging as an alternative redox modification occurring under stress conditions. This modification, consisting of the formation of a mixed disulfide between glutathione and a protein cysteine residue, can not only protect specific cysteines from irreversible oxidation but also modulate protein activities and appears to be specifically controlled by small disulfide oxidoreductases of the TRX superfamily named glutaredoxins (GRXs).

RECENT STUDIES

In recent times, several studies allowed significant progress in this area, mostly due to the identification of several plant proteins undergoing S-glutathionylation and to the characterization of the molecular mechanisms and the proteins involved in the control of this modification.

CRITICAL ISSUES

This article provides a global overview of protein glutathionylation in photosynthetic organisms with particular emphasis on the mechanisms of protein glutathionylation and deglutathionylation and a focus on the role of GRXs. Then, we describe the methods employed for identification of glutathionylated proteins in photosynthetic organisms and review the targets and the possible physiological functions of protein glutathionylation.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

In order to establish the importance of protein S-glutathionylation in photosynthetic organisms, future studies should be aimed at delineating more accurately the molecular mechanisms of glutathionylation and deglutathionylation reactions, at identifying proteins undergoing S-glutathionylation in vivo under diverse conditions, and at investigating the importance of redoxins, GRX, and TRX, in the control of this redox modification in vivo.

The diversity of microbial responses to nitric oxide and agents of nitrosative stress close cousins but not identical twins

Nitric oxide and related nitrogen species (reactive nitrogen species) now occupy a central position in contemporary medicine, physiology, biochemistry, and microbiology. In particular, NO plays important antimicrobial defenses in innate immunity but microbes have evolved intricate NO-sensing and defense mechanisms that are the subjects of a vast literature. Unfortunately, the burgeoning NO literature has not always been accompanied by an understanding of the intricacies and complexities of this radical and other reactive nitrogen species so that there exists confusion and vagueness about which one or more species exert the reported biological effects. The biological chemistry of NO and derived/related molecules is complex, due to multiple species that can be generated from NO in biological milieu and numerous possible reaction targets. Moreover, the fate and disposition of NO is always a function of its biological environment, which can vary significantly even within a single cell. In this review, we consider newer aspects of the literature but, most importantly, consider the underlying chemistry and draw attention to the distinctiveness of NO and its chemical cousins, nitrosonium (NO(+)), nitroxyl (NO(-), HNO), peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), nitrite (NO(2)(-)), and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)). All these species are reported to be generated in biological systems from initial formation of NO (from nitrite, NO synthases, or other sources) or its provision in biological experiments (typically from NO gas, S-nitrosothiols, or NO donor compounds). The major targets of NO and nitrosative damage (metal centers, thiols, and others) are reviewed and emphasis is given to newer "-omic" methods of unraveling the complex repercussions of NO and nitrogen oxide assaults. Microbial defense mechanisms, many of which are critical for pathogenicity, include the activities of hemoglobins that enzymically detoxify NO (to nitrate) and NO reductases and repair mechanisms (e.g., those that reverse S-nitrosothiol formation). Microbial resistance to these stresses is generally inducible and many diverse transcriptional regulators are involved-some that are secondary sensors (such as Fnr) and those that are "dedicated" (such as NorR, NsrR, NssR) in that their physiological function appears to be detecting primarily NO and then regulating expression of genes that encode enzymes with NO as a substrate. Although generally harmful, evidence is accumulating that NO may have beneficial effects, as in the case of the squid-Vibrio light-organ symbiosis, where NO serves as a signal, antioxidant, and specificity determinant. Progress in this area will require a thorough understanding not only of the biology but also of the underlying chemical principles.

PpsR, a regulator of heme and bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis, is a heme-sensing protein

Heme-mediated regulation, presented in many biological processes, is achieved in part with proteins containing heme regulatory motif. In this study, we demonstrate that FLAG-tagged PpsR isolated from Rhodobacter sphaeroides cells contains bound heme. In vitro heme binding studies with tagless apo-PpsR show that PpsR binds heme at a near one-to-one ratio with a micromolar binding constant. Mutational and spectral assays suggest that both the second Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) and DNA binding domains of PpsR are involved in the heme binding. Furthermore, we show that heme changes the DNA binding patterns of PpsR and induces different responses of photosystem genes expression. Thus, PpsR functions as both a redox and heme sensor to coordinate the amount of heme, bacteriochlorophyll, and photosystem apoprotein synthesis thereby providing fine tune control to avoid excess free tetrapyrrole accumulation.

Glutathione in plants: an integrated overview

Plants cannot survive without glutathione (γ-glutamylcysteinylglycine) or γ-glutamylcysteine-containing homologues. The reasons why this small molecule is indispensable are not fully understood, but it can be inferred that glutathione has functions in plant development that cannot be performed by other thiols or antioxidants. The known functions of glutathione include roles in biosynthetic pathways, detoxification, antioxidant biochemistry and redox homeostasis. Glutathione can interact in multiple ways with proteins through thiol-disulphide exchange and related processes. Its strategic position between oxidants such as reactive oxygen species and cellular reductants makes the glutathione system perfectly configured for signalling functions. Recent years have witnessed considerable progress in understanding glutathione synthesis, degradation and transport, particularly in relation to cellular redox homeostasis and related signalling under optimal and stress conditions. Here we outline the key recent advances and discuss how alterations in glutathione status, such as those observed during stress, may participate in signal transduction cascades. The discussion highlights some of the issues surrounding the regulation of glutathione contents, the control of glutathione redox potential, and how the functions of glutathione and other thiols are integrated to fine-tune photorespiratory and respiratory metabolism and to modulate phytohormone signalling pathways through appropriate modification of sensitive protein cysteine residues.

The mycobacterial LysR-type regulator OxyS responds to oxidative stress and negatively regulates expression of the catalase-peroxidase gene

Protection against oxidative stress is one of the primary defense mechanisms contributing to the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the host. In this study, we provide evidence that OxyS, a LysR-type transcriptional regulator functions as an oxidative stress response regulator in mycobacteria. Overexpression of OxyS lowers expression of the catalase-peroxidase (KatG) gene in M. smegmatis. OxyS binds directly with the katG promoter region and a conserved, GC-rich T-N(11)-A motif for OxyS binding was successfully characterized in the core binding site. Interestingly, the DNA-binding activity of OxyS was inhibited by H(2)O(2), but not by dithiothreitol. Cys25, which is situated at the DNA-binding domain of OxyS, was found to have a regulatory role for the DNA-binding ability of OxyS in response to oxidative stress. In contrast, the other three cysteine residues in OxyS do not appear to have this function. Furthermore, the mycobacterial strain over-expressing OxyS had a higher sensitivity to H(2)O(2). Thus, OxyS responds to oxidative stress through a unique cysteine residue situated in its DNA-binding domain and negatively regulates expression of the katG gene. These findings uncover a specific regulatory mechanism for mycobacterial adaptation to oxidative stress.

Structural insights into the redox-switch mechanism of the MarR/DUF24-type regulator HypR

Bacillus subtilis encodes redox-sensing MarR-type regulators of the OhrR and DUF24-families that sense organic hydroperoxides, diamide, quinones or aldehydes via thiol-based redox-switches. In this article, we characterize the novel redox-sensing MarR/DUF24-family regulator HypR (YybR) that is activated by disulphide stress caused by diamide and NaOCl in B. subtilis. HypR controls positively a flavin oxidoreductase HypO that confers protection against NaOCl stress. The conserved N-terminal Cys14 residue of HypR has a lower pK(a) of 6.36 and is essential for activation of hypO transcription by disulphide stress. HypR resembles a 2-Cys-type regulator that is activated by Cys14-Cys49' intersubunit disulphide formation. The crystal structures of reduced and oxidized HypR proteins were resolved revealing structural changes of HypR upon oxidation. In reduced HypR a hydrogen-bonding network stabilizes the reactive Cys14 thiolate that is 8-9 Å apart from Cys49'. HypR oxidation breaks these H-bonds, reorients the monomers and moves the major groove recognition α4 and α4' helices ∼4 Å towards each other. This is the first crystal structure of a redox-sensing MarR/DUF24 family protein in bacteria that is activated by NaOCl stress. Since hypochloric acid is released by activated macrophages, related HypR-like regulators could function to protect pathogens against the host immune defense.

Regulatory control or oxidative damage? Proteomic approaches to interrogate the role of cysteine oxidation status in biological processes

Oxidation is a double-edged sword for cellular processes and its role in normal physiology, cancer and aging remains only partially understood. Although oxidative stress may disrupt biological function, oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions in a cell are often tightly regulated and play essential physiological roles. Cysteines lie at the interface between these extremes since the chemical properties that make specific thiols exquisitely redox-sensitive also predispose them to oxidative damage by reactive oxygen or nitrogen species during stress. Thus, these modifications can be either under reversible redox regulatory control or, alternatively, a result of reversible or irreversible oxidative damage. In either case, it has become increasingly important to assess the redox status of protein thiols since these modifications often impact such processes as catalytic activity, conformational alterations, or metal binding. To better understand the redox changes that accompany protein cysteine residues in complex biological systems, new experimental approaches have been developed to identify and characterize specific thiol modifications and/or changes in their overall redox status. In this review, we describe the recent technologies in redox proteomics that have pushed the boundaries for detecting and quantifying redox cysteine modifications in a cellular context. While there is no one-size-fits-all analytical solution, we highlight the rationale, strengths, and limitations of each technology in order to effectively apply them to specific biological questions. Several technological limitations still remain unsolved, however these approaches and future developments play an important role toward understanding the interplay between oxidative stress and redox signaling in health and disease.

Regulation by S-nitrosylation of protein post-translational modification

Protein post-translational modification by S-nitrosylation conveys a ubiquitous influence of nitric oxide on signal transduction in eukaryotic cells. The wide functional purview of S-nitrosylation reflects in part the regulation by S-nitrosylation of the principal protein post-translational modifications that play a role in cell signaling, including phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitylation and related modifications, palmitoylation, and alternative Cys-based redox modifications. In this minireview, we discuss the mechanisms through which S-nitrosylation exerts its broad pleiotropic influence on protein post-translational modification.

Glutathionylation in the photosynthetic model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: a proteomic survey

Protein glutathionylation is a redox post-translational modification occurring under oxidative stress conditions and playing a major role in cell regulation and signaling. This modification has been mainly studied in nonphotosynthetic organisms, whereas much less is known in photosynthetic organisms despite their important exposure to oxidative stress caused by changes in environmental conditions. We report a large scale proteomic analysis using biotinylated glutathione and streptavidin affinity chromatography that allowed identification of 225 glutathionylated proteins in the eukaryotic unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Moreover, 56 sites of glutathionylation were also identified after peptide affinity purification and tandem mass spectrometry. The targets identified belong to a wide range of biological processes and pathways, among which the Calvin-Benson cycle appears to be a major target. The glutathionylation of four enzymes of this cycle, phosphoribulokinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase, and phosphoglycerate kinase was confirmed by Western blot and activity measurements. The results suggest that glutathionylation could constitute a major mechanism of regulation of the Calvin-Benson cycle under oxidative stress conditions.

Post-translational modification in the gas phase: mechanism of cysteine S-nitrosylation via ion-molecule reactions

The gas-phase mechanism of S-nitrosylation of thiols was studied in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. This was done via ion-molecule reactions of protonated cysteine and many of its derivatives and other thiol ions with neutral tert-butyl nitrite or nitrous acid. Our results showed that the presence of the carboxylic acid functional group, -COOH, in the vicinity of the thiol group is essential for the gas-phase nitrosylation of thiols. When the carboxyl proton is replaced by a methyl group (cysteine methyl ester) no nitrosylation was observed. Other thiols lacking a carboxylic acid functional group displayed no S-nitrosylation, strongly suggesting that the carboxyl hydrogen plays a key role in the nitrosylation process. These results are in excellent agreement with a solution-phase mechanism proposed by Stamler et al. (J. S. Stamler, E. J. Toone, S. A. Lipton, N. J. Sucher. Neuron 1997, 18, 691-696) who suggested a catalytic role for the carboxylic acid group adjacent to cysteine residues and with later additions by Ascenzi et al. (P. Ascenzi, M. Colasanti, T. Persichini, M. Muolo, F. Polticelli, G. Venturini, D. Bordo, M. Bolognesi. Biol. Chem. 2000, 381, 623-627) who postulated that the presence of the carboxyl in the cysteine microenvironment in proteins is crucial for S-nitrosylation. A concerted mechanism for the gas-phase S-nitrosylation was proposed based on our results and was further studied using theoretical calculations. Our calculations showed that this proposed pathway is exothermic by 44.0 kJ mol(-1). This is one of the few recent examples when a gas-phase mechanism matches one in solution.

Novel bacterial MerR-like regulators their role in the response to carbonyl and nitrosative stress

Recognition of the diversity of transcriptional regulators of the MerR family has increased considerably over the last decade and it has been established that not all MerR-like regulators are involved in metal ion recognition. A new type of MerR-like regulator was identified in Neisseria gonorrhoeae that is distinct from metal-binding MerR proteins. This novel transcription factor, the Neisseria merR-like regulator (NmlR) is related to a large and diverse group of MerR-like regulators. A common feature of the majority of the genes encoding the nmlR-related genes is that they predicted to control the expression of adhC, which encodes a glutathione-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase. The function of the NmlR regulon appears to be to defend the bacterial cell against carbonyl stress and in some cases nitrosative stress. A potential role for NmlR in bacterial pathogenesis has been identified in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Although it is not known how NmlR is activated it is suggested that conserved cysteine residues may be involved in thiol-based signaling.

Mutational analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa OxyR to define the regions required for peroxide resistance and acute virulence

OxyR is known as the primary hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-sensing transcriptional activator responsible for H(2)O(2) resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The oxyR deletion mutant is defective in survival on aerobic serial dilution, hypersensitive to peroxides, and impaired in acute virulence in mouse and Drosophila melanogaster infections. To identify the functional regions important for these phenotypes, we carried out site-directed mutagenesis of 14 amino acid residues of P. aeruginosa OxyR, based on the amino acid residues implicated in DNA binding, oligomerization, H(2)O(2) sensing, and transcriptional activation of Escherichia coli OxyR, and examined their ability to restore the oxyR mutant phenotypes. Four mutants (C25S, D142A, T129A, and S241A) were able to complement all the oxyR mutant phenotypes, whereas S33N, R50A, G96D, G102R, E126K, E228K, and R277H mutants could not fully complement those phenotypes, indicating the critical involvement of DNA binding, oligomerization and transactivation in OxyR function in vivo. Interestingly, the three cysteine (Cys) mutants (C199S, C208S, and C296S) displayed hypersensitivity to peroxides, whereas only the C199S mutant was attenuated in virulence. This dismantling of the functional residues of OxyR which are required for peroxide resistance and virulence in P. aeruginosa may reveal a complex redox cycle involving three Cys residues in sensing oxidative stresses.

Dynamic gut microbiome across life history of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae in Kenya

The mosquito gut represents an ecosystem that accommodates a complex, intimately associated microbiome. It is increasingly clear that the gut microbiome influences a wide variety of host traits, such as fitness and immunity. Understanding the microbial community structure and its dynamics across mosquito life is a prerequisite for comprehending the symbiotic relationship between the mosquito and its gut microbial residents. Here we characterized gut bacterial communities across larvae, pupae and adults of Anopheles gambiae reared in semi-natural habitats in Kenya by pyrosequencing bacterial 16S rRNA fragments. Immatures and adults showed distinctive gut community structures. Photosynthetic Cyanobacteria were predominant in the larval and pupal guts while Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes dominated the adult guts, with core taxa of Enterobacteriaceae and Flavobacteriaceae. At the adult stage, diet regime (sugar meal and blood meal) significantly affects the microbial structure. Intriguingly, blood meals drastically reduced the community diversity and favored enteric bacteria. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the enriched enteric bacteria possess large genetic redox capacity of coping with oxidative and nitrosative stresses that are associated with the catabolism of blood meal, suggesting a beneficial role in maintaining gut redox homeostasis. Interestingly, gut community structure was similar in the adult stage between the field and laboratory mosquitoes, indicating that mosquito gut is a selective eco-environment for its microbiome. This comprehensive gut metatgenomic profile suggests a concerted symbiotic genetic association between gut inhabitants and host.

The role of glutathione S-transferase P in signaling pathways and S-glutathionylation in cancer

Glutathione S-transferase P is abundantly expressed in some mammalian tissues, particularly those associated with malignancies. While the enzyme can catalyze thioether bond formation between some electrophilic chemicals and GSH, novel nondetoxification functions are now ascribed to it. This review summarizes recent material that implicates GSTP in mediating S-glutathionylation of specific clusters of target proteins and in reactions that define a negative regulatory role in some kinase pathways through ligand or protein:protein interactions. It is becoming apparent that GSTP participates in the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis through a number of convergent and divergent mechanisms. Moreover, drug platforms that have GSTP as a target have produced some interesting preclinical and clinical candidates.

S-bacillithiolation protects against hypochlorite stress in Bacillus subtilis as revealed by transcriptomics and redox proteomics

Protein S-thiolation is a post-translational thiol-modification that controls redox-sensing transcription factors and protects active site cysteine residues against irreversible oxidation. In Bacillus subtilis the MarR-type repressor OhrR was shown to sense organic hydroperoxides via formation of mixed disulfides with the redox buffer bacillithiol (Cys-GlcN-Malate, BSH), termed as S-bacillithiolation. Here we have studied changes in the transcriptome and redox proteome caused by the strong oxidant hypochloric acid in B. subtilis. The expression profile of NaOCl stress is indicative of disulfide stress as shown by the induction of the thiol- and oxidative stress-specific Spx, CtsR, and PerR regulons. Thiol redox proteomics identified only few cytoplasmic proteins with reversible thiol-oxidations in response to NaOCl stress that include GapA and MetE. Shotgun-liquid chromatography-tandem MS analyses revealed that GapA, Spx, and PerR are oxidized to intramolecular disulfides by NaOCl stress. Furthermore, we identified six S-bacillithiolated proteins in NaOCl-treated cells, including the OhrR repressor, two methionine synthases MetE and YxjG, the inorganic pyrophosphatase PpaC, the 3-D-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase SerA, and the putative bacilliredoxin YphP. S-bacillithiolation of the OhrR repressor leads to up-regulation of the OhrA peroxiredoxin that confers together with BSH specific protection against NaOCl. S-bacillithiolation of MetE, YxjG, PpaC and SerA causes hypochlorite-induced methionine starvation as supported by the induction of the S-box regulon. The mechanism of S-glutathionylation of MetE has been described in Escherichia coli also leading to enzyme inactivation and methionine auxotrophy. In summary, our studies discover an important role of the bacillithiol redox buffer in protection against hypochloric acid by S-bacillithiolation of the redox-sensing regulator OhrR and of four enzymes of the methionine biosynthesis pathway.

S-nitrosylation in the regulation of gene transcription

BACKGROUND

Post-translational modification of proteins by S-nitrosylation serves as a major mode of signaling in mammalian cells and a growing body of evidence has shown that transcription factors and their activating pathways are primary targets. S-nitrosylation directly modifies a number of transcription factors, including NF-κB, HIF-1, and AP-1. In addition, S-nitrosylation can indirectly regulate gene transcription by modulating other cell signaling pathways, in particular JNK kinase and ras.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

The evolution of S-nitrosylation as a signaling mechanism in the regulation of gene transcription, physiological advantages of protein S-nitrosylation in the control of gene transcription, and discussion of the many transcriptional proteins modulated by S-nitrosylation is summarized.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

S-nitrosylation plays a crucial role in the control of mammalian gene transcription with numerous transcription factors regulated by this modification. Many of these proteins serve as immunomodulators, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is regarded as a principal mediatiator of NO-dependent S-nitrosylation. However, additional targets within the nucleus (e.g. histone deacetylases) and alternative mechanisms of S-nitrosylation (e.g. GAPDH-mediated trans-nitrosylation) are thought to play a role in NOS-dependent transcriptional regulation.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Derangement of SNO-regulated gene transcription is an important factor in a variety of pathological conditions including neoplasia and sepsis. A better understanding of protein S-nitrosylation as it relates to gene transcription and the physiological mechanisms behind this process is likely to lead to novel therapies for these disorders. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Regulation of Cellular Processes by S-nitrosylation.