Cited by 1,031Redox biology and oxidative stressSulfur Compounds in BiologySulfur-Based Synthesis Techniques

The basics of thiols and cysteines in redox biology and chemistry

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Poole, Leslie B.·2015·Free Radical Biology and Medicine

Abstract

Cysteine is one of the least abundant amino acids, yet it is frequently found as a highly conserved residue within functional (regulatory, catalytic, or binding) sites in proteins. It is the unique chemistry of the thiol or thiolate group of cysteine that imparts to functional sites their specialized properties (e.g., nucleophilicity, high-affinity metal binding, and/or ability to form disulfide bonds). Highlighted in this review are some of the basic biophysical and biochemical properties of cysteine groups and the equations that apply to them, particularly with respect to pKa and redox potential. Also summarized are the types of low-molecular-weight thiols present in high concentrations in most cells, as well as the ways in which modifications of cysteinyl residues can impart or regulate molecular functions important to cellular processes, including signal transduction.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2014.11.013

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  • A strong limitation for analysis of cysteine species is their instability due to their dynamic nature, since oxidation products of protein cysteine residues can be easily reduced by other thiols.

    “However, a strong limitation for the analysis of cysteine species is their instability due to the dynamic nature, since oxidation products of protein cysteine residues can be easily reduced by other thiols [122,123].”
  • The set of reactions resulting in formation of superoxide radicals is omnipresent and a critical component in biological systems.

    “The above set of reactions, resulting in the formation of superoxide radicals, has been shown to be omnipresent and a critical component in biological systems (Poole 2015; Adams et al. 1969; Davies et al. 2022).”

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  1. [36]Segel IH Biochemical Calculations New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc 1976

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Authors
Poole, L. B.
Affiliations
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (US)
Corresponding author
Poole, Leslie B.
Venue
Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-03
Volume
80
Pages
148-157
ISSN
0891-5849 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2002611021
Cited by
1,031
References
140
Citations by year
2026: 88 · 2025: 83 · 2024: 107 · 2023: 104 · 2022: 110 · 2021: 137 · 2020: 125 · 2019: 114 · 2018: 62 · 2017: 56 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 21 · 2013: 1
FWCI
3.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Free Radical Biology and Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (R01 GM050389, R33 CA177461)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Redox biology and oxidative stress
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Sulfur Compounds in Biology
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Sulfur-Based Synthesis Techniques
Keywords
cysteine, thiols, thiolate, redox biology, redox potential, pKa, disulfide bonds, metal ion binding, nucleophilicity, low molecular weight thiols, cysteine modification, signal transduction, protein functional sites
MeSH terms
Animals, Cysteine, Disulfides, Electrons, Free Radicals, Glutathione, Humans, Kinetics, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxidoreductases, Sulfhydryl Compounds, Thermodynamics, Signal Transduction, Biocatalysis

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