S-Nitrosothiols (RSNOs) represent an important class of post-translational modifications that preserve and amplify the actions of nitric oxide and regulate enzyme activity. Several regulatory proteins are now verified targets of cellular S-nitrosation and the direct detection of S-nitrosated residues in proteins has become essential to better understand RSNO-mediated signaling. Current RSNO detection depends on indirect assays that limit their overall specificity and reliability. Herein, we report the reaction of S-nitrosated cysteine, glutathione, and a mutated C165S alkyl hydroperoxide reductase with the water-soluble phosphine, tris(4,6-dimethyl-3-sulfonatophenyl)phosphine trisodium salt hydrate (TXPTS). A combination of NMR and MS techniques reveals these reactions produce covalent S-alkylphosphonium ion adducts (with S-P + connectivity), TXPTS oxide and a TXPTS-derived aza-ylide. Mechanistically, this reaction may proceed through an S-substituted azaylide or the direct displacement of nitroxyl from the RSNO group. This work provides a new means for detecting and quantifying S-nitrosated species in solution and suggests that phosphines may be useful tools for understanding the complex physiological roles of S-nitrosation and its implications in cell signaling and homeostasis.
KeywordsS-nitrosothiol; triarylphosphine; aza-ylide; S-alkylphosphonium ion; protein labeling; chemical ligation; nitrosative stress Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) affect cellular signaling processes at concentrations far below those required to inflict oxidative damage (1-4). The over-oxidation and metabolism of nitric oxide (NO), an endogenous cell signaling agent, produces several RNS including nitrogen dioxide and nitrite, which can generate competent nitrosation agents (5,6). Nitrosation of cysteine sites yields S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) that preserve, modulate, and amplify the actions of NO. This selective and reversible process represents an important postCorrespondence to: S. Bruce King, kingsb@wfu.edu. † Department of Chemistry ‡ Center for Structural Biology § Department of Molecular Medicine Supporting Information available: Experimental details for the synthesis of Cys-SNO, GSNO and AhpC-SNO. 31 P and 13 C NMR spectra, UV/vis data and LC-MS results for various reactions. ESI-TOF-MS controls and x-ray structural data for 1. This material is available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org. (3,(6)(7)(8). Several proteins have been identified as targets of cellular S-nitrosation including glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), papain, hemoglobin (Hb), and several caspases (5,9-12). Inflammatory stimuli, including RNS, increase overall cellular RSNO formation, which further mediates the inflammatory process (9,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17). Direct detection and specific identification of S-nitrosated residues in proteins is essential to better understand RSNO-mediated signaling. Current techniques, such as the biotin switch assay, Saville assay, and chemiluminescencebased methods, are ind...