Protein sulfenic acids in redox signaling

Reactive (low pK(a)) cysteine residues in proteins are critical components in redox signaling. A particularly reactive and versatile reversibly oxidized form of cysteine, the sulfenic acid (Cys-SOH), has important roles as a catalytic center in enzymes and as a sensor of oxidative and nitrosative stress in enzymes and transcriptional regulators. Depending on environment, sometimes the sulfenic acid provides a metastable oxidized form, and other times it is a fleeting intermediate giving rise to more stable disulfide, sulfinic acid, or sulfenyl-amide forms.