Abstact

Protein S-nitrosylation is a reversible redox-based post-translational modification that plays an important role in cell signaling by modulating protein function and stability. At the molecular level, S-nitrosylation consists of the formation of a nitrosothiol (-SNO) and is primarily induced by the trans-nitrosylating agent nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). Triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), which catalyzes the interconversion of dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, has been identified as a putative target of S-nitrosylation in both plant and non-plant systems. Here we investigate the molecular basis for GSNO-dependent regulation of chloroplast TPI from the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrTPI). Molecular modelling identified Cys14 and Cys219 as potential sites for interaction with GSNO, though crystallography of GSNO-treated CrTPI revealed S-nitrosylation only at Cys14. To disclose GSNO target sites, we generated and characterized Cys-to-Ser variants for Cys14 and Cys219, identifying Cys219 as a key residue mediating the GSNO-dependent modulation of CrTPI activity. Molecular dynamics simulations further revealed the stabilizing interactions of S-nitrosylated cysteines with their local environments. Overall, our results indicate that CrTPI catalysis is modulated by GSNO through a redox-based mechanism involving Cys219, which highlights a conserved regulatory strategy shared with human TPI.