Protein S-sulfhydration (forming -S-SH adducts from cysteine residues) is a newly defined oxidative posttranslational modification and plays an important role in H2S-mediated signaling pathways. In this study we report the first selective, “tag-switch” method which can directly label protein S-sulfhydrated residues by forming stable thioether conjugates. Furthermore we demonstrate that H2S alone cannot lead to S-sulfhydration and that the two possible physiological mechanisms include reaction with protein sulfenic acids (P-SOH) or the involvement of metal centers which would facilitate the oxidation of H2S to HSC.

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Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has emerged as new member of the gaseous transmitter family of signaling molecules and appears to play a regulatory role in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Recent studies suggest that protein cysteine S-sulfhydration may function as a mechanism for transforming the H2S signal into a biological response. However, selective detection of S-sulfhydryl modifications is challenging since the persulfide group (RSSH) exhibits reactivity akin to other sulfur species, especially thiols. A modification of the biotin switch technique, using S-methyl methanethiosulfonate (MMTS) as an alkylating reagent, was recently used to identify a large number of proteins that may undergo S-sulfhydration, but the underlying mechanism of chemical detection was not fully explored. To address this key issue, we have developed a protein persulfide model and analog of MMTS, S-4-bromobenzyl methanethiosulfonate (BBMTS). Using these new reagents, we investigated the chemistry in the modified biotin switch method and examined the reactivity of protein persulfides toward different electrophile/nucleophile species. Together, our data affirm the nucleophilic properties of the persulfide sulfane sulfur and afford new insights into protein S-sulfhydryl chemistry, which may be exploited in future detection strategies.

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His research focuses on peptide/ protein therapeutics and the development of novel peptide/protein chemistries. Figure 6. Examples of regiospecifically constructing fourdisulfide bonds. A) four disulfide-containing single-chainpeptides and B) four disulfide-containing two-chainpeptides.