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Control of oxidative posttranslational cysteine modifications: from intricate chemistry to widespread biological and medical applications
- Source :
- Chemical research in toxicology. 25(3)
- Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- Cysteine residues in proteins and enzymes often fulfill rather important roles, particularly in the context of cellular signaling, protein-protein interactions, substrate and metal binding, and catalysis. At the same time, some of the most active cysteine residues are also quite sensitive toward (oxidative) modification. S-Thiolation, S-nitrosation, and disulfide bond and sulfenic acid formation are processes which occur frequently inside the cell and regulate the function and activity of many proteins and enzymes. During oxidative stress, such modifications trigger, among others, antioxidant responses and cell death. The unique combination of nonredox function on the one hand and participation in redox signaling and control on the other has placed many cysteine proteins at the center of drug design and pesticide development. Research during the past decade has identified a range of chemically rather interesting, biologically very active substances that are able to modify cysteine residues in such proteins with huge efficiency, yet also considerable selectivity. These agents are often based on natural products and range from simple disulfides to complex polysulfanes, tetrahydrothienopyridines, α,β -unsaturated disulfides, thiuramdisulfides, and 1,2-dithiole-3-thiones. At the same time, inhibition of enzymes responsible for posttranslational cysteine modifications (and their removal) has become an important area of innovative drug research. Such investigations into the control of the cellular thiolstat by thiol-selective agents cross many disciplines and are often far from trivial.
- Subjects :
- Cell signaling
Sulfur Acids
Context (language use)
Oxidative phosphorylation
Toxicology
01 natural sciences
03 medical and health sciences
chemistry.chemical_compound
Humans
Cysteine
Disulfides
Cysteine metabolism
030304 developmental biology
chemistry.chemical_classification
0303 health sciences
010405 organic chemistry
Chemistry
Proteins
General Medicine
0104 chemical sciences
Enzyme
Biochemistry
Sulfenic acid
Oxidation-Reduction
Protein Processing, Post-Translational
Function (biology)
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15205010
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Chemical research in toxicology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....8ea9de69eae6826641fce2ba73241b2d