Medical College of Wisconsin
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Activation and inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase by S-nitrosocysteine: involvement of amino acid transport system L. Free Radic Biol Med 2009 Aug 01;47(3):269-74

Date

05/05/2009

Pubmed ID

19409484

Pubmed Central ID

PMC2704003

DOI

10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2009.04.027

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-67349161335 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   31 Citations

Abstract

In this study the mechanism by which S-nitrosocysteine (CysNO) activates soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) has been investigated. CysNO is the S-nitrosated derivative of the amino acid cysteine and has previously been shown to be transported into various cell types by amino acid transport system L. Here we show, using both neuroblastoma and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, that CysNO stimulates cGMP formation at low concentrations, but this effect is lost at higher concentrations. Stimulation of cGMP accumulation occurs only after its transport into the cell and subsequent flavoprotein reductase-mediated metabolism to form nitric oxide (NO). Consequently, CysNO can be regarded as a cell-targeted NO-releasing agent. However, CysNO also functions as an NO-independent thiol-modifying agent and can compromise cellular antioxidant defenses in a concentration-dependent manner. The observed biphasic nature of CysNO-dependent cGMP accumulation seems to be due to these two competing mechanisms. At higher concentrations, CysNO probably inactivates guanylyl cyclase through modification of an essential thiol group on the enzyme, either directly or as a result of a more generalized oxidative stress. We show here that higher concentrations of CysNO can increase cellular S-nitrosothiol content to nonphysiological levels, deplete cellular glutathione, and inhibit cGMP formation in parallel. Although the inhibition of sGC by S-nitrosation has been suggested as a mechanism of nitrovasodilator tolerance, in the case of CysNO, it seems to be more a reflection of a generalized oxidative stress placed upon the cell by the nonphysiological levels of intracellular S-nitrosothiol generated upon CysNO exposure.

Author List

Riego JA, Broniowska KA, Kettenhofen NJ, Hogg N

Author

Neil Hogg PhD Associate Dean, Professor in the Biophysics department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Amino Acid Transport System L
Cell Line, Tumor
Cells, Cultured
Cyclic GMP
Cysteine
Enzyme Activation
Guanylate Cyclase
Humans
Myocytes, Smooth Muscle
Neuroblastoma
Nitric Oxide
Oxidative Stress
Pulmonary Artery
S-Nitrosothiols