Cited by 594Nitric Oxide and Endothelin EffectsRedox biology and oxidative stressCardiovascular Health and Disease Prevention

S-glutathionylation uncouples eNOS and regulates its cellular and vascular function

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Chen, Chun-An, Wang, Tse-Yao, Varadharaj, Saradhadevi, Reyes, Levy A., Hemann, Craig, Talukder, M. A. Hassan, Chen, Yeong-Renn, Druhan, Lawrence J. +1 more·2010·Nature

Abstract

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is critical in the regulation of vascular function, and can generate both nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O(2)(•-)), which are key mediators of cellular signalling. In the presence of Ca(2+)/calmodulin, eNOS produces NO, endothelial-derived relaxing factor, from l-arginine (l-Arg) by means of electron transfer from NADPH through a flavin containing reductase domain to oxygen bound at the haem of an oxygenase domain, which also contains binding sites for tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)) and l-Arg. In the absence of BH(4), NO synthesis is abrogated and instead O(2)(•-) is generated. While NOS dysfunction occurs in diseases with redox stress, BH(4) repletion only partly restores NOS activity and NOS-dependent vasodilation. This suggests that there is an as yet unidentified redox-regulated mechanism controlling NOS function. Protein thiols can undergo S-glutathionylation, a reversible protein modification involved in cellular signalling and adaptation. Under oxidative stress, S-glutathionylation occurs through thiol-disulphide exchange with oxidized glutathione or reaction of oxidant-induced protein thiyl radicals with reduced glutathione. Cysteine residues are critical for the maintenance of eNOS function; we therefore speculated that oxidative stress could alter eNOS activity through S-glutathionylation. Here we show that S-glutathionylation of eNOS reversibly decreases NOS activity with an increase in O(2)(•-) generation primarily from the reductase, in which two highly conserved cysteine residues are identified as sites of S-glutathionylation and found to be critical for redox-regulation of eNOS function. We show that eNOS S-glutathionylation in endothelial cells, with loss of NO and gain of O(2)(•-) generation, is associated with impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation. In hypertensive vessels, eNOS S-glutathionylation is increased with impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation that is restored by thiol-specific reducing agents, which reverse this S-glutathionylation. Thus, S-glutathionylation of eNOS is a pivotal switch providing redox regulation of cellular signalling, endothelial function and vascular tone.

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Authors
Chen, C.-A., Wang, T.-Y., Varadharaj, S., Reyes, L. A., Hemann, C., Talukder, M. A. H., Chen, Y.-R., Druhan, L. J., & Zweier, J. L.
Affiliations
The Ohio State University (US)
Corresponding author
Zweier, Jay L.
Venue
Nature
Published
2010-12
Volume
468
Issue
7327
Pages
1115-1118
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2038965219
Cited by
594
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 50 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 60 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 64
FWCI
31.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL083237, R01HL063744, R01-HL65608, R01HL63744, P01HL065608, R01HL38324, R01 HL83237, R01 HL103846, R01HL038324, R00HL103846, K99HL103846)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nitric Oxide and Endothelin Effects
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Redox biology and oxidative stress
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Health and Disease Prevention
Keywords
S-glutathionylation, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, eNOS uncoupling, superoxide production, nitric oxide, oxidative stress, hypertension, endothelium-dependent vasodilation, tetrahydrobiopterin, protein thiol modification, redox regulation, vascular function, tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency
MeSH terms
Animals, Cattle, Cells, Cultured, Dithiothreitol, Endothelium, Vascular, Glutathione, Humans, Male, Mercaptoethanol, Mutation, Oxidation-Reduction, Rats, Inbred SHR, Rats, Inbred WKY, Vasodilation, Signal Transduction, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Reducing Agents, Endothelial Cells, Rats, Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III

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