Abe K, Kimura H
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, California 92138, USA.
J Neurosci. 1996 Feb 1;16(3):1066-71. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.16-03-01066.1996.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is well known as a toxic gas, is produced endogenously from L-cysteine in mammalian tissues. H2S is present at relatively high levels in the brain, suggesting that it has a physiological function. Two other gases, nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, are also endogenously produced and have been proposed as neuronal messengers in the brain. In this work we show the following: (1) an H2S-producing enzyme, cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS), is highly expressed in the hippocampus; (2) CBS inhibitors hydroxylamine and amino-oxyacetate suppress the production of brain H2S; and (3) a CBS activator, S-adenosyl-L-methionine, enhances H2S production, indicating that CBS contributes to the production of endogenous H2S. We also show that physiological concentrations of H2S selectively enhance NMDA receptor-mediated responses and facilitate the induction of hippocampal long-term potentiation. These observations suggest that endogenous H2S functions as a neuromodulator in the brain.
硫化氢（H₂S）作为一种有毒气体广为人知，它在哺乳动物组织中由L-半胱氨酸内源性产生。H₂S在大脑中以相对较高的水平存在，这表明它具有生理功能。另外两种气体，一氧化氮和一氧化碳，也是内源性产生的，并被认为是大脑中的神经信使。在这项工作中，我们展示了以下几点：（1）一种产生H₂S的酶，胱硫醚β-合酶（CBS），在海马体中高度表达；（2）CBS抑制剂羟胺和氨基氧乙酸抑制大脑中H₂S的产生；（3）一种CBS激活剂，S-腺苷-L-甲硫氨酸，增强H₂S的产生，表明CBS有助于内源性H₂S的产生。我们还表明，生理浓度的H₂S选择性地增强NMDA受体介导的反应，并促进海马体长时程增强的诱导。这些观察结果表明，内源性H₂S在大脑中作为一种神经调节剂发挥作用。
