The nuclear sulfenome of Arabidopsis: spotlight on histone acetyltransferase GCN5 regulation through functional thiols

Partial reduction of oxygen during energy generating metabolic processes in aerobic life forms results in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In plants, ROS production is heightened during periods of both abiotic and biotic stress, which imposes a significant overload on the antioxidant systems. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) holds a central position in cellular redox homeostasis and signalling, playing an important role by oxidising crucial cysteines to sulfenic acid (-SOH), considered as a biologically relevant post-translational modification (PTM). Until now, the role of the nucleus in the cellular redox homeostasis has been relatively underexplored. The regulation of histone-modifying enzymes by oxidative PTMs on redox-active cysteines or tyrosine residues is particularly intriguing as it allows the integration of redox signalling mechanisms with chromatin control of transcriptional activity. One of the most extensively studied histone acetyltransferases is the conserved GENERAL CONTROL NONDEPRESSIBLE 5 (GCN5) complex. This study investigated the nuclear sulfenome in Arabidopsis thaliana by expressing a nuclear variant of the Yeast Activation Protein-1 (YAP) probe, identifying 225 potential redox-active nuclear proteins subject to sulfenylation. Mass spectrometry analysis further confirmed the sulfenylation of GCN5 at specific cysteine residues, with their functional significance and impact on the protein-protein interaction network assessed through cysteine-to-serine mutagenesis. HighlightProtein cysteine thiols are post-translationally modified under oxidative stress. Through the in vivo capturing of nuclear proteins undergoing sulfenylation in Arabidopsis, we highlight the functionality of particular cysteines in the histone acetyltransferase GCN5.