Department of Biology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Free Radic Res. 2011 Jan;45(1):3-15. doi: 10.3109/10715762.2010.515217. Epub 2010 Sep 6.
Reversible S-glutathiolation of specific proteins at sensitive cysteines provides a powerful mechanism for the dynamic, post-translational regulation of many cellular processes, including apoptosis. Critical in ascribing any regulatory function to S-glutathiolation is its reversibility, mainly regulated by glutaredoxins. Apoptosis is a controlled form of cell death that plays fundamental roles during embryonic development, tissue homeostasis and some diseases. Much of what happens during the demolition phase of apoptosis is orchestrated primarily by caspases, the final executioners of cell death. Recent findings support an essential role for S-glutathiolation in apoptosis, often at the level of caspases or their inactive precursors, and several studies have demonstrated the importance of glutaredoxins in protecting against apoptosis. These observations have contributed to recent advances in apoptosis research. However, the effective relevance of protein S-glutathiolation and the precise molecular targets in apoptotic signalling remain unresolved and a key challenge for future research.
特定蛋白质上敏感半胱氨酸的可逆 S-谷胱甘肽化提供了一种强大的机制，用于许多细胞过程的动态、翻译后调节，包括细胞凋亡。将 S-谷胱甘肽化赋予任何调节功能的关键是其可逆性，主要由谷胱甘肽还原酶调节。细胞凋亡是一种受控制的细胞死亡形式，在胚胎发育、组织稳态和某些疾病中发挥着基本作用。细胞凋亡的破坏阶段发生的大部分事件主要由半胱天冬酶（细胞死亡的最终执行者）来协调。最近的发现支持 S-谷胱甘肽化在细胞凋亡中的重要作用，通常在半胱天冬酶或其无活性前体水平上，并且有几项研究已经证明了谷胱甘肽还原酶在保护细胞免受凋亡中的重要性。这些观察结果为细胞凋亡研究的最新进展做出了贡献。然而，蛋白质 S-谷胱甘肽化的有效相关性和细胞凋亡信号转导中的精确分子靶点仍未解决，这是未来研究的一个关键挑战。
