The Chemical Biology of Hydrogen Sulfide

通过这一奖项，生命过程化学项目资助了索诺玛州立大学的Jon Fukuto教授，以阐明H2S与各种可能的生物靶标的化学相互作用。Fukuto实验室提出，生物生成H2S的一个重要命运是蛋白质过硫化物（RSSH）的形成。从化学角度来看，过硫化物有望具有独特的性质，可以以其他硫醇修饰物种未知的方式改变硫醇蛋白的功能。因此，蛋白质中过硫化物的产生及其对蛋白质功能的影响可能是H2S生物学/信号传导的一个重要方面。值得注意的是，过硫化物的短暂性也可能是其生理效用的一个重要方面，有趣的是，这将阻碍它们作为生物学相关物种的发现或识别。更广泛的影响包括本科生接触化学生物学的跨学科研究。此外，H2S的基础生化研究有望对更广泛的科学界产生影响。NO和CO与H2S一起构成了一个完整的、密切交织的挥发性“第二信使”信号系统。也就是说，在生物靶点和可能的化学相互作用中报道的共性表明了一个化学信号“网”。因此，有关h2s信号机制的信息有望有助于理解这种气体低分子量信号物种网络。

With this award, the Chemistry of Life Processes Program is funding Professor Jon Fukuto of Sonoma State University to elucidate the chemical interactions of H2S with a variety of likely and possible biological targets. It is proposed by the Fukuto lab that an important fate of biologically generated H2S is the formation of protein persulfides (RSSH). From a chemical perspective, persulfides are expected to have unique properties that can alter thiol protein function in ways unknown with other thiol-modifed species. Thus, the generation of persulfides in proteins and subsequent effects on protein function may be an important aspect of H2S biology/signaling. Significantly, the ephemeral nature of persulfides may also be an important aspect of their physiological utility and, interestingly, would have precluded their discovery or recognition as a biologically relevant species.Broader impacts include the exposure of undergraduate students to interdisciplinary research in Chemical Biology. Moreover, fundamental biochemical studies of H2S are expected to have impact on the broader scientific community. It appears that NO and CO, together with H2S, constitute an integrated and intimately intertwined signaling system of volatile "second messengers". That is, reported commonality in biological targets and possible chemical interactions indicates a chemical signaling "web". Thus, information on H2S-signaling mechanisms is expected to contribute to the understanding of this network of gaseous low molecular weight signaling species.