The production of hydrogen sulfide is regulated by testosterone and S-adenosyl-L-methionine in mouse brain

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is endogenously produced in the brain from L-cysteine by the enzyme cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) and functions as a neuromodulator in the brain. H2S selectively enhances NMDA receptor-mediated responses and alters hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). The production of H2S is regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin-mediated pathways and is enhanced in response to neuronal excitation. In addition to this fast regulation, we describe here a slower form of the regulation of H2S production by testosterone and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), a CBS activator. Endogenous H2S in the mouse brain increases after birth, reaches a maximum level at 8 weeks and then decreases. Female brain contains less H2S than male brain at each age. A single administration of testosterone to female mice increases the endogenous H2S and SAM, which reach levels similar to those of male mice. In contrast, castration of male mice decreases the levels of testosterone, SAM and H2S in the brain. Administration of SAM once a day for 3 days increases the brain H2S without significantly changing the testosterone level. These observations suggest that testosterone can regulate the brain H2S level via changing the level of SAM.     

脂肪内源性硫化氢-功能、调节与疾病

硫化氢是新的气体信号分子,在多种疾病中有重要的保护作用。脂肪组织表达胱硫醚β合酶、胱硫醚γ裂解酶以及β-巯基丙酮酸转硫酶并产生释放硫化氢。脂肪组织内源性硫化氢可调节脂肪糖摄取和利用、脂肪分解、脂肪细胞分化以及脂肪内分泌,从而参与肥胖、糖尿病以及心血管疾病的调节。硫化氢可激活胰岛素受体信号、激活过氧化物增殖体活化受体γ、调控钾离子通道参与调节过程。硫化氢可能作为能量代谢的"开关",参与代谢性疾病的调节。     

Brain hydrogen sulfide is severely decreased in Alzheimer's disease

Although hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is generally thought of in terms of a poisonous gas, it is endogenously produced in the brain from cysteine by cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS). H2S functions as a neuromodulator as well as a smooth muscle relaxant. Here we show that the levels of H2S are severely decreased in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients compared with the brains of the age matched normal individuals. In addition to H2S production CBS also catalyzes another metabolic pathway in which cystathionine is produced from the substrate homocysteine. Previous findings, which showed that S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM), a CBS activator, is much reduced in AD brain and that homocysteine accumulates in the serum of AD patients, were confirmed. These observations suggest that CBS activity is reduced in AD brains and the decrease in H2S may be involved in some aspects of the cognitive decline in AD.     

Production of the neuromodulator H2S by cystathionine beta-synthase via the condensation of cysteine and homocysteine

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been observed in relatively high concentrations in the mammalian brain and has been shown to act as a neuromodulator. However, there is confusion in the literature regarding the actual source of H2S production. Reactions catalyzed by the cystathionine beta-synthase enzyme (CBS) are one possible source for the production of H2S. Here we show that the CBS enzyme can efficiently produce H2S via a beta-replacement reaction in which cysteine is condensed with homocysteine to form cystathionine and H2S. The production of H2S by this reaction is at least 50 times more efficient than that produced by hydrolysis of cysteine alone via beta-elimination. Kinetic studies demonstrate that the Km and Kcat for cysteine is 3-fold higher and 2-fold lower, respectively, than that for serine. Consistent with these data, in vitro reconstitution studies show that at physiologically relevant concentrations of serine, homocysteine, and cysteine, about 5% of the cystathionine formed is from cysteine. We also show that AdoMet stimulates this H2S producing reaction but that there is no evidence for stimulation by calcium and calmodulin as reported previously. In summary, these results confirm the ability of CBS to produce H2S, but show in contrast to prior reports that the major mechanism is via beta-replacement and not cysteine hydrolysis. In addition, these studies provide a biochemical explanation for the previously inexplicable homocysteine-lowering effects of N-acetylcysteine treatments in humans.     

Hydrogen Sulfide and Carbon Monoxide Are in Synergy with Each Other in the Pathogenesis of Recurrent Febrile Seizures

1. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the interaction between hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) and carbon monoxide (CO) during recurrent febrile seizures (FS) 2.H(2)S and CO are important intra- and intercellular messengers, regulating various brain functions. Our recent studies showed that both of them alleviate the hippocampal damage induced by recurrent FS. In the present study, on a rat model of recurrent FS, we found that hydroxylamine (an inhibitor of cystathionine b-synthase, CBS) reduced CO level and down regulated heme oxygenase (HO-1) expression, while NaHS (a donor of H(2)S) elevated CO level and upregulated HO-1 expression. ZnPP-IX (an inhibitor of HO-1) decreased H(2)S formation and down regulated CBS expression, while hemin (which increases the production of endogenous CO) enhanced H(2)S formation and elevated CBS expression. 3.Our data demonstrate that endogenous H(2)S and CO are in synergy with each other in recurrent FS.     

Crystallographic and mutational analyses of cystathionine β‐synthase in the H2S‐synthetic gene cluster in Lactobacillus plantarum

Cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS) catalyzes the formation of l ‐cystathionine from l ‐serine and l ‐homocysteine. The resulting l ‐cystathionine is decomposed into l ‐cysteine, ammonia, and α‐ketobutylic acid by cystathionine γ‐lyase (CGL). This reverse transsulfuration pathway, which is catalyzed by both enzymes, mainly occurs in eukaryotic cells. The eukaryotic CBS and CGL have recently been recognized as major physiological enzymes for the generation of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). In some bacteria, including the plant‐derived lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum, the CBS‐ and CGL‐encoding genes form a cluster in their genomes. Inactivation of these enzymes has been reported to suppress H₂S production in bacteria; interestingly, it has been shown that H₂S suppression increases their susceptibility to various antibiotics. In the present study, we characterized the enzymatic properties of the L. plantarum CBS, whose amino acid sequence displays a similarity with those of O‐acetyl‐l ‐serine sulfhydrylase (OASS) that catalyzes the generation of l ‐cysteine from O‐acetyl‐l ‐serine (l ‐OAS) and H₂S. The L. plantarum CBS shows l ‐OAS‐ and l ‐cysteine‐dependent CBS activities together with OASS activity. Especially, it catalyzes the formation of H₂S in the presence of l ‐cysteine and l ‐homocysteine, together with the formation of l ‐cystathionine. The high affinity toward l ‐cysteine as a first substrate and tendency to use l ‐homocysteine as a second substrate might be associated with its enzymatic ability to generate H₂S. Crystallographic and mutational analyses of CBS indicate that the Ala70 and Glu223 residues at the substrate binding pocket are important for the H₂S‐generating activity.     

Gaseous neuromodulator-related genes expressed in the brain of honeybee Apis mellifera

Nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbon monoxide (CO) are thought to act as gaseous neuromodulators in the brain across species. For example, in the brain of honeybee Apis mellifera, NO plays important roles in olfactory learning and discrimination, but the existence of H2S- and CO-mediated signaling pathways remains unknown. In the present study, we identified the genes of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS), and heme oxygenase (HO) from the honeybee brain. The honeybee brain contains at least one gene for each of NOS, CBS, and HO. The deduced proteins for NOS, CBS, and HO are thought to contain domains to generate NO, H2S, and CO, respectively, and to contain putative Ca2+/calmodulin-binding domains. On the other hand, the honeybee brain contains three subunits of sGC: sGCalpha1, sGCbeta1, and sGCbeta3. Phylogenetic analysis of sGC revealed that Apis sGCalpha1 and sGCbeta1 are closely related to NO- and CO-sensitive sGC subunits, whereas Apis sGCbeta3 is closely related to insect O2-sensitive sGC subunits. In addition, we performed in situ hybridization for Apis NOS mRNA and NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry in the honeybee brain. The NOS gene was strongly expressed in the optic lobes and in the Kenyon cells of the mushroom bodies. NOS activity was detected in the optic lobes, the mushroom bodies, the central body complex, the lateral protocerebral lobes, and the antennal lobes. These findings suggest that NO is involved in various brain functions and that H2S and CO can be endogenously produced in the honeybee brain.     

Hydrogen sulfide: neurochemistry and neurobiology

Current evidence suggests that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays an important role in brain functions, probably acting as a neuromodulator as well as an intracellular messenger. In the mammalian CNS, H2S is formed from the amino acid cysteine by the action of cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) with serine (Ser) as the by-product. As CBS is a calcium and calmodulin dependent enzyme, the biosynthesis of H2S should be acutely controlled by the intracellular concentration of calcium. In addition, it is also regulated by S-adenosylmethionine which acts as an allosteric activator of CBS. H2S, as a sulfhydryl compound, has similar reducing properties as glutathione. In neurons, H2S stimulates the production of cAMP probably by direct activation of adenylyl cyclase and thus activate cAMP-dependent processes. In astrocytes, H2S increases intracellular calcium to an extent capable of inducing and propagating a "calcium wave", which is a form of calcium signaling among these cells. Possible physiological functions of H2S include potentiating long-term potentials through activation of the NMDA receptors, regulating the redox status, maintaining the excitatory/inhibitory balance in neurotransmission, and inhibiting oxidative damage through scavenging free radicals and reactive species. H2S is also involved in CNS pathologies such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease. In stroke, H2S appears to act as a mediator of ischemic injuries and thus inhibition of its production has been suggested to be a potential treatment approach in stroke therapy.     

Hydrogen sulfide as a vasodilator

Gases such as nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) play important roles both in normal physiology and in disease. The toxic effects of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) on living organisms have been recognized for nearly 300 years. In recent years, however, interest has been directed towards H2S as the third gaseous mediator, which has been shown to exhibit potent vasodilator activity both in vitro and in vivo most probably by opening vascular smooth muscle K(ATP) channels. Of the two enzymes, cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE) and cystathionine-beta-synthetase (CBS), which utilize L-cysteine as substrate to form H2S, CSE is believed to be the key enzyme which forms H2S in the cardiovascular system. Recent studies have shown an important role of the vasodilator action of H2S in health and disease.     

Hydrogen sulfide induces cyclic AMP and modulates the NMDA receptor

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is produced endogenously from l-cysteine in mammalian tissues, and may function as a neuromodulator in the brain as well as a tone regulator in smooth muscle. H(2)S is present at relatively high levels in the brain, and cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS), which is highly expressed in the hippocampus, is involved in the production of brain H(2)S. Physiological concentrations of H(2)S selectively enhance NMDA receptor-mediated currents and facilitate the induction of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). The NMDA receptor subunits are directly phosphorylated at specific sites by protein kinase A (PKA), resulting in the activation of NMDA-receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents. PKA activation is also observed in the induction of LTP. Here we show that physiological concentrations of H(2)S increase the production of cAMP in primary cultures of brain cells, neuronal and glial cell lines, and Xenopus oocytes. NMDA receptors expressed on Xenopus oocyte membrane are modulated by H(2)S. This modulation by H(2)S is specifically inhibited by adenylyl cyclase-specific inhibitor MDL-12, 330A. The present findings provide a mechanism for the previous observation that H(2)S modulates NMDA receptors and enhances the induction of LTP.