para-sulfobenzoyloxybromobimane: a new membrane-impermeable reagent useful for the analysis of thiols and their export from cells.

para-Sulfonylbenzoyloxybromobimane (sBBr) was shown to be similar to the fluorescent labeling agent monobromobimane (mBBr) in reacting rapidly and selectively with thiols to produce stable derivatives which are readily separated by HPLC. Chromatography of the sBBr derivative provides a useful means of confirming the identification of an unknown thiol based upon the chromatography of its mBBr derivative and can be useful for quantitative determination of polycationic thiols for which chromatography of the mBBr derivative is unsatisfactory. Unlike mBBr, which readily penetrates cells, sBBr was found not to be taken up by cells. These characteristics allow sBBr to be used, in conjunction with mBBr, to quantify the export of thiols from cells, as illustrated for GSH and the radioprotective drug WR1065, from V79 cells. Simultaneous determination of GSH and glutathione disulfides in cell culture medium could be achieved by labeling of thiols with sBBr followed by reduction of disulfides with dithiothreitol, labeling of the resulting thiols with mBBr, and HPLC analysis for both glutathione derivatives.     

Fluorescent localization of thiols and disulfides in marsupial spermatozoa by bromobimane labelling

The acrosome of marsupial spermatozoa is a robust structure which, unlike its placental counterpart, resists disruption by detergent or freeze/thawing and does not undergo a calcium ionophore induced acrosome reaction. In this study specific fluorescent thiol labels, bromobimanes, were used to detect reactive thiols in the intact marsupial spermatozoon and examine whether disulfides play a role in the stability of the acrosome. Ejaculated brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) spermatozoa were washed by swim up and incubated with or without dithiothreitol (DTT) in order to reduce disulfides to reactive thiols. Spermatozoa were then washed by centrifugation and treated with monobromobimane (mBBr), a membranepermeable bromobimane, or with monobromotrimethylammoniobimane (qBBr), a membrane-impermeable bromobimane. Labelled spermatozoa were examined by fluorescence microscopy and sperm proteins (whole sperm proteins and basic nuclear proteins) were analysed by gel electrophoresis. The membrane-permeable agent mBBr lightly labelled the perimeter of the acrosome of non-DTT-treated possum and wallaby spermatozoa, indicating the presence of peri-acrosomal thiol groups. After reduction of sperm disulfides by DTT, mBBr labelled the entire acrosome of both species. The membrane-impermeable agent qBBr did not label any part of the acrosome in non-DTT or DTT-treated wallaby or possum spermatozoa. Thiols and disulfides are thus associated with the marsupial acrosome. They are not found on the overlying plasma membrane but are either in the acrosomal membranes and/or matrix. The sperm midpiece and tail were labelled by mBBr, with increased fluorescence observed in DTT-treated spermatozoa. The nucleus was not labelled in non-DTT or DTT-treated spermatozoa. Electrophoretic analysis confirmed the microscopic observations: Basic nuclear protein (protamines) lacked thiols or disulfide groups. Based on these findings, the stability of the marsupial acrosome may be due in part to disulfide stabilization of the acrosomal membranes and/or acrosomal matrix. In common with placental mammals, thiol and disulfide containing proteins appear to play a role in the stability of sperm tail structures. It was confirmed that the fragile marsupial sperm nucleus lacked thiols and disulfides. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Sperm analysis by flow cytometry using the fluorescent thiol labeling agent monobromobimane

The fluorescent labeling agent monobromobimane (mBBr) was used to label thiols and disulfides (after reduction of sperm disulfides by dithiothreitol) in intact spermatozoa. Bimane-labeled sperm of several mammalian species were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) and examined by fluorescent microscopy. FCM analysis showed sperm thiol oxidation to disulfides during epididymal maturation. FCM of labeled mature spermatozoa showed differences among species in the sperm thiol content. Heterogeneity in thiol content of sperm within individual samples was also observed. In addition, FCM patterns showed heterogeneity among and within samples in the content of disulfides and their resistance to reduction. FCM analysis reflected the microscopic appearance of the labeled spermatozoa. FCM analysis of bimane-labeled spermatozoa offers a convenient method for the study of sperm thiol-disulfide status and permits detection of sperm subpopulations within an individual sample. FCM analysis of mBBr-labeled spermatozoa may serve as a test to evaluate sperm quality.     

A new method for disulfide analysis of peptides.

A simple, sensitive, reliable method for determining disulfide groups in peptides is presented. The disulfides are cleaved in a brief treatment with strong alkali. Following neutralization with phosphoric acid, thiol resulting from the alkaline cleavage is estimated colorimetrically with 5,5′-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). In the presence of EDTA, the color yield is stable and is linear with the concentration of oxidized glutathione. The stoichiometry with other peptide disulfides appears to be somewhat variable but not so as to interfere with detection of peptide disulfides in chromatographic fractions. The present method compares favorably with two other proposed disulfide analytical methods. The cleavage assay is chromogenic with disulfides, thiols, and with certain blocked thiols but is not chromogenic with methionine and lanthionine.     

Lipid peroxidation-dependent and -independent protein thiol modifications in isolated rat hepatocytes: differential effects of vitamin E and disulfiram

Exposure of isolated rat hepatocytes to allyl alcohol (AA), diethyl maleate (DEM) and bromoisovalerylurea (BIU) induced lipid peroxidation, depletion of free protein thiols to about 50% of the control value and cell death. Vitamin E completely prevented lipid peroxidation, protein thiol depletion and cell death. A low concentration (0.1 mM) of the lipophylic disulfide, disulfiram (DSF), also prevented the induction of lipid peroxidation by the hepatotoxins; however, in the presence of DSF, protein thiol depletion and cell death occurred more rapidly. Incubation of cells with a high concentration (10 mM) of DSF alone led to 100% depletion of protein thiols and cell death, which could not be prevented by vitamin E. The level of free protein thiols in cells, decreased to 50% by exposure to AA, DEM and BIU, could be reversed to 75% of the initial level by dithiothreitol (DTT) treatment, indicating that the protein thiols were partially modified into disulfides and partially into other, stable thiol adducts. The 100% depletion of protein thiols by DSF was completely reversed by DTT treatment. The involvement of lipid peroxidation in protein thiol depletion was studied by measuring the effect of a lipid peroxidation product, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), on protein thiols in a cell free liver fraction. 4-HNE did not induce lipid peroxidation in this system, but protein thiols were depleted to 30% of the initial value, irrespective of the presence of vitamin E. DTT treatment could reverse this for only 25%. Similar, DSF-induced protein thiol depletion could be reversed completely by DTT. We conclude that (at least) two types of protein thiol modifications can occur after exposure of hepatocytes to toxic compounds: one due to interaction of endogeneously generated lipid peroxidation products with protein thiols, which is not reversible by the action of DTT, and one due to a disulfide interchange between disulfides like DSF and protein thiols, which can be reversed by the action of DTT.     

Measurement of cyst(e)amine in physiological samples by high performance liquid chromatography

Two methods for measurement of cyst(e)amine in physiological samples are described. One method involves reduction of disulfides present in the sample with tributylphosphine, reversed phase chromatography of thiols, and electrochemical detection of cysteamine and other thiols. The other method involves reduction of disulfides with dithiothreitol, derivatization of thiols with 7-diethylamino-3-(4'-maleimidylphenyl)-4-methylcoumarin, separation of these derivatives by reversed phase chromatography, and fluorometric detection of the thiol adducts. The endogenous concentration of cysteamine in rat liver was estimated to be less than 2.5 nmol/g. Cysteamine is produced in tissues postmortem; rapid sampling/freezing of tissues and rapid inactivation of enzymes during tissue preparation are essential for accurate measurement of endogenous cysteamine concentrations.     

Measurement of biological thiols and disulfides by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection of silver mercaptide formation

A rapid and sensitive method is described for the measurement of picomole levels of the biological thiols glutathione, cysteine, penicillamine, cysteamine, and ergothioneine by a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection (ECD). The compounds were separated isocratically on a reversed-phase C18 column by ion-pair chromatography with a mobile phase containing 5 mM acetic acid and 2.5 mM sodium 1-octanesulfonate. After chromatographic separation, the eluate was combined with silver nitrate dissolved in ammonium nitrate buffer at pH 10.5. A platinum disc electrode was used at -0.1 V vs Ag/AgCl to detect the amount of silver ions that had been consumed by the reaction with thiols. For measurement of disulfide, S-sulfonation with sodium sulfite or electroreduction were used to cleave the disulfide, and the thiol anions produced were detected by HPLC-ECD as for the reduced forms. The method was used to assay thiols and disulfides in biological materials.     

Localization of thiol and disulfide groups in guinea pig spermatozoa during maturation and capacitation using bimane fluorescent labels

The distribution of thiols and disulfides in the guinea pig spermatozoon during maturation and capacitation was studied using both membrane-permeable (mBBr) and impermeable (qBBr) forms of bromobimane, a specific fluorescent probe for thiol groups. In conjunction with the disulfide (SS)-reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) and the thiol-alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), quantitative spectrofluorometric measurements of the relative amounts of total thiol (SH) versus SS were performed on cauda epididymal spermatozoa. Under conditions labeling 70% of the reactive thiols, the ratio total SS/SH was 2.4/1.0. Contamination by other cell types prevented similar measurements on spermatozoa at earlier stages of epididymal maturation; thus, the qualitative localization of SH and SS groups in these and in capacitated spermatozoa was visualized using fluorescence microscopy. As spermatozoa moved from the testis to the caput epididymidis, there was a slight apparent increase in staining both on the surface and internally in all regions. Thereafter, surface and internal staining decreased by the time spermatozoa reached the cauda epididymidis. Fluorescence patterns were unaltered under short-term (1 h) capacitation conditions in calcium-free modified Tyrode's medium containing lysophosphatidyl choline and after induction of the acrosome reaction with 2 mM calcium. However, long-term capacitation (16-18 h) in calcium-free modified Tyrode's medium resulted in a loss of detectable SH in the head and acrosome. Regardless of the stage examined, sperm tails contained the greatest relative amount of SH, followed by the head and the acrosome. In addition, there was always more SH detectable internally than on the surface. DTT pretreatment caused a dramatic increase in staining in all regions, both surface and internal, consistent with the quantitative estimates of the SS/SH ratio.     

Detection of reversible protein thiol modifications in tissues

Oxidation/reduction reactions of protein thiol groups (PSH) have been implicated in many physiological and pathological processes. Although many new techniques for separation and identification of modified cysteinyl residues in proteins have been developed, critical assessment of reagents and sample processing often are overlooked. We carefully compared the effectiveness of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), iodoacetamide (IAM), and iodoacetic acid (IAA) in alkylating protein thiols and found that NEM required less reagent (125 vs. 1000 mol:mol excess), required less time (4 min vs. 4h), and was more effective at lower pHs (4.3 vs. 8.0) in comparison with IAM and IAA. The relative efficacy of dithiothreitol (DTT) and tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) for reducing protein disulfides suspended in NaPO(4) buffer or MeOH was assessed, and no differences in total normalized fluorescence were detected at the concentrations tested (10-100mM); however, individual band resolution appeared better in samples reduced with DTT in MeOH. In addition, we found that oxidation ex vivo was minimized in tissue samples that were homogenized in aqueous buffers containing excess molar quantities of NEM compared with samples homogenized in MeOH containing NEM. Using NEM for thiol alkylation, DTT for disulfide reduction, and mBBr for labeling the reduced disulfide and fluorimetric detection, we were able to generate an in-gel standard curve and quantitate total disulfide contents within biological samples as well as to identify changes in specific protein bands by scanning densitometry. We demonstrated that reagents and techniques we have identified for disulfide detection in complex samples are also applicable to two-dimensional electrophoresis separations.     

Detection of oxidant sensitive thiol proteins by fluorescence labeling and two-dimensional electrophoresis

Oxidants can activate signaling pathways and modulate a variety of cellular activities. Their action at a molecular level involves the post-translational modification of protein thiols. We have developed a proteomic method to monitor the reduction and oxidation of protein thiols, and identify those thiol proteins most sensitive to oxidation. Cells were disrupted in the presence of N-ethylmaleimide to block the reduced thiol proteins and dithiothreitol was added to reduce the oxidized thiol proteins before labeling with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein. Two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis was used to resolve the labeled samples. We applied the method to Jurkat T lymphocytes and examined the effect of diamide on the oxidized and reduced thiol protein profiles. A small percentage of protein thiols were already oxidized in untreated cells. Exposure of cells to 2 mM diamide for ten minutes led to a dramatic increase in thiol protein oxidation as seen in the oxidized thiol protein map. However, it was difficult to detect any change in the pattern of reduced thiol proteins. Separation of proteins by 2-D electrophoresis revealed approximately 200 thiol proteins that were oxidized by diamide treatment. This method will be valuable in elucidating redox signaling pathways.     

Aqueous Synthesis of Peptide Thioesters from Amino Acids and a Thiol Using 1,1′-Carbonyldiimidazole

A new method was developed for the synthesis of peptide thioesters from free amino acids and thiols in water. This one-pot simple method involves two steps: (1) activation in water of an amino acid presumably as its N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) using 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), and (2) subsequent condensation of the activated amino acid-NCA in the presence of a thiol. With this method citrulline peptide thioesters containing up to 10 amino acid residues were prepared in a single reaction. This aqueous synthetic method provides a simple way to prepare peptide thioesters for studies of peptide replication involving ligation of peptide thioesters on peptide templates. The relevance of peptide replication to the origin-of-life process is supported by previous studies showing that amino acid thioesters (peptide thioester precursors) can be synthesized under prebiotic conditions by reaction of small sugars with ammonia and a thiol.     

Copper(II) (3,5-diisopropylsalicylate)2 oxidizes thiols to symmetrical disulfides and oxidatively converts mixtures of 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid and nonsymmetrical 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid disulfides to symmetrical disulfides

L-cysteine, D-penicillamine, and L-glutathione were oxidized to symmetrical disulfides in the presence of Cu(II)(3,5-DIPS)2 and air-oxygen at physiologic pH, 7.3. Air-oxygen caused the oxidation of thiol reduced copper, Cu(I), to Cu(II), as evidenced by expected spectrophotometric changes in these reaction mixtures. L-cysteine, D-penicillamine, and L-glutathione formed mixed disulfides and TNB with the addition of DTNB to solutions of these thiols. The observed order of reactivity for these thiols with DTNB was: L-cysteine greater than D-penicillamine greater than L-glutathione. Surprisingly, Cu(II)(3,5-DIPS)2 converted these mixed disulfides to their symmetrical disulfides and DTNB, and although the initial conversion rate was rapid, complete conversion required more than two hours. These observations suggest caution with regard to the spectrophotometric determination of thiols immediately after the addition of Ellman's reagent. These results also clarify an earlier report concerning the oxidation of thiols by Cu(II)(o-phenanthroline)2 and offer caution with regard to the determination of thiols using DTNB in the presence of copper complexes. Spectrophotometric data are provided in support of the suggestion that analysis of plasma or cellular samples for thiols be done in the absence of copper(II) complexes to avoid false negative results.     

Myelin Proteolipid Protein Contains Thioester-Linked Fatty Acids

Myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) is known to contain long-chain, covalently bound fatty acids. Previous studies, including our own, have suggested the occurrence of an oxyester type of linkage between fatty acids and PLP. However, we found that protein-SH groups are required in the acylation reaction, suggesting the possible presence of thioesters. In the present study, we have examined the nature of the acyl-PLP linkages by determining whether free thiol groups are generated on removal of fatty acids. Incubation of reduced and carboxyamidomethylated proteolipid apoprotein (RCM-APL) with 0.2 M hydroxylamine and [14C]iodoacetamide at pH 7.5 and 37 degrees C resulted in the release of fatty acids and the concomitant labeling of newly formed thiol groups. Incubation with Tris or methylamine at pH 7.5 failed to remove fatty acids and generate free -SH groups. The possibility that on treatment buried thiol groups became exposed was essentially excluded because (1) similar results were obtained in 2-chloroethanol, a solvent in which acylated and deacylated PLP have the same conformation, and (2) small PLP peptides were labeled only in the presence of hydroxylamine. On incubation with [14C]methylamine at pH 9.0, RCM-APL was not labeled, thus excluding the occurrence of intramolecular thiol esters. On the other hand, fatty acids were released as radioactive N-methyl fatty acylamide, indicating the presence of intermolecular thioesters between fatty acids and protein. These results demonstrate that a large proportion of fatty acids covalently bound to PLP are liked to -SH groups.     

Determination of Reduced, Protein-Unbound, and Total Concentrations of N-Acetyl- -cysteine and -Cysteine in Rat Plasma by Postcolumn Ligand Substitution High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic assay was developed for the quantitative determination of the sulfur-containing amino acids N-acetyl- -cysteine (NAC) and -cysteine (Cys) in rat plasma. The thiols were separated by reverse-phase ion-pair chromatography, and the column eluent was continuously mixed with an iodoplatinate-containing solution. The substitution of sulfur of the thiol compound with iodide was quantitatively determined by measuring changes in the absorption at 500 nm. The low-molecular-weight disulfides and mixed disulfide conjugates of thiols with proteins were entirely reduced to the original reduced compounds by dithiothreitol. By reducing these two types of disulfides separately during sample pretreatment, the reduced, protein-unbound, and total thiol concentrations could also be determined. Validation testing was performed, and no problems were encountered. The limit of detection was approximately 20 pmol of thiol on the column. The present method was used to measure the plasma concentrations of NAC and Cys in the rat after a bolus intravenous administration of NAC, focusing on disulfide formation. The binding of NAC to protein through mixed disulfide formation proceeds in a time-dependent and reversible manner. Moreover, this “stable” covalent binding might limit total drug elimination, while the unbound NAC is rapidly eliminated. Consequently, the analytical method described in this study is very useful for the determination of plasma NAC and Cys, including disulfide conjugates derived from them.     

tert-Butylhydroperoxide-induced toxicity in isolated hepatocytes: contribution of thiol oxidation and lipid peroxidation

Incubation of isolated rat hepatocytes with tert-butylhydroperoxide resulted in marked cytotoxicity preceded by intracellular glutathione depletion and extensive lipid peroxidation. Addition of antioxidants delayed, but did not prevent, this toxicity. A significant decrease in protein-free sulfhydryl groups also occurred in the presence of tert-butylhydroperoxide; direct oxidation of protein thiols and mixed disulfide formation with glutathione were responsible for this decrease. The involvement of protein thiol depletion in tert-butylhydroperoxide-induced cytotoxicity is suggested by our observation that administration of dithiothreitol, which caused re-reduction of the oxidized sulfhydryl groups and mixed disulfides, efficiently protected the cells from toxicity. Moreover, depletion of intracellular glutathione by pretreatment of the hepatocytes with diethyl maleate accelerated and enhanced the depletion of protein thiols induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide and potentiated cell toxicity even in the absence of lipid peroxidation.     

Biological thiols elicit prolactin proteolysis by glandular kallikrein and permit regulation by biochemical pathways linked to redox control

Rat glandular kallikrein (GK), a trypsin-like serine protease, cleaves rat prolactin (PRL) in vitro to novel forms detectable in vivo and likely to be of physiological significance. PRL proteolysis by GK is thiol-dependent, with thiols acting upon PRL to refold the molecule into novel conformations that are GK substrates. This study compared several natural and synthetic thiols for their ability to elicit PRL proteolysis by GK. Rat PRL was incubated with rat GK in the presence of various thiols and 0.5% Triton X-100, which enhances thiol-elicited proteolysis. Cleavage was analyzed by gel electrophoresis under reducing and nonreducing conditions. In the presence of Triton X-100, all low molecular weight thiols elicited PRL cleavage by GK. The order of potency was dithiothreitol greater than mercaptoethanol greater than lipoic acid greater than cysteamine = glutathione (GSH) = coenzyme A greater than cysteine. In the absence of Triton, however, dithiothreitol, coenzyme A, and mercaptoethanol were most effective in eliciting GK proteolysis. Triton X-100 enhanced PRL cleavage by 4-19-fold, depending upon the thiol used. Folding isomers of processed PRL observed following cleavage included disulfide-liked homodimers, oxidized monomers, reduced monomers and mixed disulfides; the folding isomers generated varied depending upon the thiol used. GSH potency in eliciting PRL proteolysis increased 10-fold in the presence of biochemical pathways shuttling reducing equivalents to GSH disulfide (GSSG). PRL cleavage by GK could be controlled by substrates, enzymes, and cofactors making up the reducing shuttle when GSSG was used. Thioredoxin (a protein disulfide oxidoreductase) potently elicited PRL proteolysis by GK in the presence of a reducing shuttle and Triton X-100.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Quantification of protein thiols and dithiols in the picomolar range using sodium borohydride and 4,4'-dithiodipyridine

Experimental determination of the number of thiols in a protein requires methodology that combines high sensitivity and reproducibility with low intrinsic thiol oxidation disposition. In detection of disulfide bonds, it is also necessary to efficiently reduce disulfides and to quantify the liberated thiols. Ellman's reagent (5,5'-dithiobis-[2-nitrobenzoic acid], DTNB) is the most widely used reagent for quantification of protein thiols, whereas dithiothreitol (DTT) is commonly used for disulfide reduction. DTNB suffers from a relatively low sensitivity, whereas DTT reduction is inconvenient because the reagent must be removed before thiol quantification. Furthermore, both reagents require a reaction pH > 7.0 where oxidation by ambient molecular oxygen is significant. Here we describe a quick and highly sensitive assay for protein thiol and dithiol quantification using the reducing agent sodium borohydride and the thiol reagent 4,4'-dithiodipyridine (4-DPS). Because borohydride is efficiently destroyed by the addition of acid, the complete reduction and quantification can be performed conveniently in one tube without desalting steps. Furthermore, the use of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the thiol quantification by 4-DPS reduces the detection limit to the picomolar range (equivalent to 1 microg of a 50-kDa protein containing 1 thiol) while at the same time maintaining low pH throughout the procedure.     

The evolution of glutathione metabolism in phototrophic microorganisms

Summary Of the many roles ascribed to glutathione (GSH) the one most clearly established is its role in the protection of higher eucaryotes against oxygen toxicity through destruction of thiol-reactive oxygen byproducts. If this is the primary function of GSH then GSH metabolism should have evolved during or after the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis. That many bacteria do not produce GSH is consistent with this view. In the present study we have examined the low-molecular-weight thiol composition of a variety of phototrophic microorganisms to ascertain how evolution of GSH production is related to evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis. Cells were extracted in the presence of monobromobimane (mBBr) to convert thiols to fluorescent derivatives, which were analyzed by highpressure liquid chromatography. Significant levels of GSH were not found in the green bacteria (Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum andChloroflexus aurantiacus). Substantial levels of GSH were present in the purple bacteria (Chromatium vinosum, Rhodospirillum rubrum, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, andRhodocyclus gelatinosa), the cyanobacteria [Anacystis nidulans, Microcoleus chthonoplastes S.G., Nostoc muscorum, Oscillatoria amphigranulata, Oscillatoria limnetica, Oscillatoria sp. (Stinky Spring, Utah),Oscillatoria terebriformis, Plectonema boryanum, andSynechococcus lividus], and eucaryotic algae (Chlorella pyrenoidsa, Chlorella vulgaris, Euglena gracilis, Scenedesmus obliquus, andChlamydomonas reinhardtii). Other thiols measured included cysteine, -glutamylcysteine, thiosulfate, coenzyme A, and sulfide; several unidentified thiols were also detected. Many of the organisms examined also exhibited a marked ability to reduce mBBr to syn-(methyl,methyl)bimane, an ability that was quenched by treatment with 2-pyridyl disulfide or 5,5-bisdithio-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) prior to reaction with mBBR. These observations indicate the presence of a reducing system capable of electron transfer to mBBr and reduction of reactive disulfides. The distribution of GSH in phototrophic eubacteria indicates that GSH synthesis evolved at or around the time that oxygenic photosynthesis evolved.     

Comprehensive plasma thiol redox status determination for metabolomics

Thiol homeostasis plays an important role in human health and aging by regulation of cellular responses to oxidative stress. Due to major constraints that hamper reliable plasma thiol/disulfide redox status assessment in clinical research, we introduce an improved strategy for comprehensive thiol speciation using capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS) that overcomes sensitivity, selectivity and dynamic range constraints of conventional techniques. This method integrates both specific and nonspecific approaches toward sensitivity enhancement for artifact-free quantification of labile plasma thiols without complicated sample handling. A multivariate model was developed to predict increases in ionization efficiency for reduced thiols when conjugated to various maleimide analogs based on their intrinsic physicochemical properties. Optimization of maleimide labeling in conjunction with online sample preconcentration allowed for simultaneous analysis of nanomolar levels of reduced thiols and free oxidized thiols as their intact symmetric or mixed disulfides. Identification of low-abundance thiols and various other polar metabolites detected in plasma was supported by prediction of their relative migration times using CE as a qualitative tool complementary to ESI-MS. Plasma thiol redox status determination together with untargeted metabolite profiling offers a systemic approach for elucidation of the causal role of dysregulated thiol metabolism in the etiology of human diseases.     

Role of thiamine thiol form in nitric oxide metabolism

In alkaline media the thiamine cyclic form is converted into a thiol form (pK(a) 9.2) with an opened thiazole ring. The thiamine thiol form releases nitric oxide from S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). Thiamine disulfide, mixed thiamine disulfide with glutathione, and nitric oxide are produced in the reaction. Free glutathione was recorded in small amounts. The concentration of formed nitric oxide agreed well with the concentration of degraded GSNO. The concentration of released nitric oxide was determined under anaerobic conditions spectrophotometrically by production of nitrosohemoglobin. In air, the release of nitric oxide was recorded by the production of nitrite or the oxidation of oxyhemoglobin to methemoglobin. The concentration of the thiol form in the body under physiological pH values (7.2-7.4) did not exceed 1.5-2.0%. We believe that due to the exchange reactions between the thiamine thiol form and S-nitrosocysteine protein residues, nitric oxide can be released and mixed thiamine-protein disulfides are formed. The mixed thiamine disulfides (including thiamine ester disulfides) as well as the thiamine disulfide form are quite easily reduced by low molecular weight thiols to form the thiamine cyclic form with a closed thiazole ring. A possible role of the thiamine thiol form in releasing deposited nitric oxide from low-molecular-weight S-nitrosothiols and protein S-nitrosothiols and in regulation of blood flow in the vascular bed is discussed.