BACKGROUND Cystathionine γ-lyase, cystathionine β-synthase, and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase are endogenous enzymatic sources of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Functions of H2S are mediated by several targets including ion channels and signaling proteins. Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 is responsible for the expression of antioxidant response element-regulated genes and is known t...

Gamma-Glutamylpropargylglycylglycine (gamma-Glu-PPG-Gly) was isolated as a metabolite of propargylglycine (2-amino-4-pentynoic acid, a natural and synthetic inhibitor of cystathionine gamma-lyase) from human blood incubated with D,L-propargylglycine in the presence of L-glutamate and glycine, and identified by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry, indicating that human blood can metabolize p...

Homocysteine is metabolized to methionine by the action of 5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). Alternatively, by the transulfuration pathway, homocysteine is transformed to hydrogen sulphide (H2S), through multiple steps involving cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase. Here we have evaluated the involvement of H2S in the thrombotic events associated with hyperhomocyst...

Cystathionine (R-S-(2-amino-2-carboxyethyl)-l-homocysteine) is a non-proteinogenic thioether containing amino acid. In mammals, cystathionine is formed as an intermediate of the transsulfuration pathway by the condensation of serine and homocysteine (Hcy) in a reaction catalyzed by cystathionine β-synthase (CBS). Cystathionine is subsequently converted to cysteine plus ammonia and α-ketobutyrat...

Volatile sulfur compounds are key flavor compounds in several cheese types. To better understand the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids, which certainly plays a key role in the release of volatile sulfur compounds, we searched the genome database of Lactobacillus casei ATCC 334 for genes encoding putative homologs of enzymes known to degrade cysteine, cystathionine, and methionine. The...

Hydrogen Sulfide as an Endothelium-Derived Hyperpolarizing Factor in Rodent Mesenteric Arteries To the Editor: We read with interest the article by Mustafa et al1 in Circulation Research in which the authors suggest that hydrogen sulfide is a major endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) that generates endothelial and vascular myocyte hyperpolarization and relaxation by predominantly ...

To gain insights into the mechanisms of drug resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we employed proteomic techniques to study the global protein change of the multi-drug resistant ESCC cell line EC109/CDDP, which was established in our previous work, in comparison with its parental drug sensitive cell line EC109. By two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, we suc...