Detection of protein S-sulfhydration via a tag-switch technique

Protein S-sulfhydration (forming -S-SH adducts from cysteine residues) is a newly defined oxidative posttranslational modification and plays an important role in H2S-mediated signaling pathways. In this study we report the first selective, “tag-switch” method which can directly label protein S-sulfhydrated residues by forming stable thioether conjugates. Furthermore we demonstrate that H2S alone cannot lead to S-sulfhydration and that the two possible physiological mechanisms include reaction with protein sulfenic acids (P-SOH) or the involvement of metal centers which would facilitate the oxidation of H2S to HSC.