巯基亚硝基化(S-nitrosylation)修饰是一种一氧化氮(nitric oxide, NO)介导的氧化还原依赖的、可逆性蛋白质翻译后修饰。生理条件下,S-nitrosylation通过调控蛋白质的稳定性、蛋白质活性、亚细胞定位及蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用,在维持细胞稳态中发挥重要作用。而在多种病理条件下,蛋白质S-nitrosylation及其产物表现出异常的升高或降低。转录因子又称反式作用因子,通过识别并结合调控元件而影响基因转录。本文简要综述转录因子的S-nitrosylation修饰的研究进展及其生理学意义。

Protein S-nitrosylation, the oxidative modification of cysteine by nitric oxide (NO) to form protein S-nitrosothiols (SNOs), mediates redox-based signaling. Physiologically, S-nitrosylation regulates protein stability, activity, subcellular localization, and protein-protein interactions and plays important roles in maintaining cell homeostasis. However, aberrant S-nitrosylation is associated with diverse pathobiologies. Transcription factors are key molecules that bind to DNA-regulatory sequences (enhancers and silencers), usually localized in the 5'-upstream region of target genes, to regulate gene expression. Here we review the biochemical mechanisms underlying the S-nitrosylation of transcription factors, and discuss the multiple roles of S-nitrosylation in the regulation of gene transcription.