Iron–sulfur proteins are the major source of protein-bound dinitrosyl iron complexes formed in Escherichia coli cells under nitric oxide stress

Protein-bound dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) have been observed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells under nitric oxide (NO) stress. The identity of proteins that bind DNICs, however, still remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that iron–sulfur proteins are the major source of protein-bound DNICs formed in Escherichia coli cells under NO stress. Expression of recombinant iron–sulfur proteins, but not proteins without iron–sulfur clusters, almost doubles the amount of protein-bound DNICs formed in E. coli cells after NO exposure. Purification of recombinant proteins from the NO-exposed E. coli cells further confirms that iron–sulfur proteins, but not proteins without iron–sulfur clusters, are modified, forming protein-bound DNICs. Deletion of the iron–sulfur cluster assembly proteins IscA and SufA to block the [4Fe–4S] cluster biogenesis in E. coli cells largely eliminates the NO-mediated formation of protein-bound DNICs, suggesting that iron–sulfur clusters are mainly responsible for the NO-mediated formation of protein-bound DNICs in cells. Furthermore, depletion of the “chelatable iron pool” in wild-type E. coli cells effectively removes iron–sulfur clusters from proteins and concomitantly diminishes the NO-mediated formation of protein-bound DNICs, indicating that iron–sulfur clusters in proteins constitute at least part of the chelatable iron pool in cells.