Increased mitochondrial prooxidant activity mediates up-regulation of Complex I S-glutathionylation via protein thiyl radical in the murine heart of eNOS−/−

Abstract

In response to oxidative stress, mitochondrial Complex I is reversibly S-glutathionylated. We hypothesized that protein S-glutathionylation (PrSSG) of Complex I is mediated by a kinetic mechanism involving reactive protein thiyl radical (PrS•) and GSH in vivo. Previous studies have shown that in vitro S-glutathionylation of isolated Complex I at the 51 and 75-kDa subunits was detected under the conditions of •O2− production, and mass spectrometry confirmed that formation of Complex I PrS• mediates PrSSG. Exposure of myocytes to menadione resulted in enhanced Complex I PrSSG and PrS• (Kang et al., Free Radical Biol. Med.52:962–973; 2012). In this investigation, we tested our hypothesis in the murine heart of eNOS−/−. The eNOS−/− mouse is known to be hypertensive and develops the pathological phenotype of progressive cardiac hypertrophy. The mitochondria isolated from the eNOS−/− myocardium exhibited a marked dysfunction with impaired state 3 respiration, a declining respiratory control index, and decreasing enzymatic activities of ETC components. Further biochemical analysis and EPR measurement indicated defective aconitase activity, a marked increase in •O2− generation activity, and a more oxidized physiological setting. These results suggest increasing prooxidant activity and subsequent oxidative stress in the mitochondria of the eNOS−/− murine heart. When Complex I from the mitochondria of the eNOS−/− murine heart was analyzed by immunospin trapping and probed with anti-GSH antibody, both PrS• and PrSSG of Complex I were significantly enhanced. Overexpression of SOD2 in the murine heart dramatically diminished the detected PrS•, supporting the conclusion that mediation of Complex I PrSSG by oxidative stress-induced PrS• is a unique pathway for the redox regulation of mitochondrial function in vivo.