Reaction Of The Xpa Zinc Finger With S-Nitrosoglutathione

S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is an intracellular redox signaling molecule, also implicated in nitrosative stress. GSNO actions include modifications of Cys thiols in proteins. In this study, we focused on a GSNO reaction with a Cys(4) zinc finger (ZF) sequence of human protein XPA, crucial to the nucleotide excision repair pathway of DNA repair. By using a corresponding synthetic 37-residue peptide acetyl-DYVICEECGKEFMDSYLMNHFDLPTCDNCRDADDKHK-amide (XPAzf) and combining the detection of noncovalent and covalent complexes by ESI-MS with zinc release monitored by the zinc-sensitive chromophore 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR), we demonstrated that the reaction of XPAzf with GSNO yielded S-nitrosylated intermediates, intrapeptide disulfides, and mixed glutathione disulfides. The reaction started with the formation of a complex of GSNO with ZnXPAzf followed by thiol transnitrosylation reactions and the final formation of disulfides. The results obtained suggest that at low levels/transient exposures, GSNO may act as a reversible regulator Of CYs(4) ZF activity, whereas transnitrosylation by GSNO, occurring at prolonged exposures, may cause deleterious effects to the functions of Cys(4) ZF proteins. In the case of XPA, this may lead to DNA repair inhibition.