Nitrosative stress-induced S-glutathionylation of protein disulfide isomerase

Oxidative and nitrosative stress result in the accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) which trigger redox-mediated signaling cascades through posttranslational modifications on cysteine residues, including S-nitrosylation (P-SNO) and S-glutathionylation (P-SSG). Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is the most abundant chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum and facilitates protein folding via oxidoreductase activity. Prolonged or acute nitrosative stress blunts the activity of PDI through the formation of PDI-SNO and PDI-SSG. The functional implication is that reduced activity for the period of time leads to an accumulation of misfolded or unfolded proteins and activation of the unfolded protein response. Redox regulation of PDI and downstream signaling events provides an integration point for the functional determination of cell survival pathways. Herein, we describe the methodologies to globally identify S-glutathionylated targets of ROS/RNS; validate and identify the specific cysteine targets and characterize the structural and functional consequences.