Catalytic site cysteines of thiol enzyme: sulfurtransferases

Thiol enzymes have single- or double-catalytic site cysteine residues and are redox active. Oxidoreductases and isomerases contain double-catalytic site cysteine residues, which are oxidized to a disulfide via a sulfenyl intermediate and reduced to a thiol or a thiolate. The redox changes of these enzymes are involved in their catalytic processes. On the other hand, transferases, and also some phosphatases and hydrolases, have a single-catalytic site cysteine residue. The cysteines are redox active, but their sulfenyl forms, which are inactive, are not well explained biologically. In particular, oxidized forms of sulfurtransferases, such as mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase and thiosulfate sulfurtransferase, are not reduced by reduced glutathione but by reduced thioredoxin. This paper focuses on why the catalytic site cysteine of sulfurtransferase is redox active.