Protective role of reactive sulfur species under electrophilic stress

Abstract

Reactive sulfur species (RSS) with high nucleophilicity contributes to the elimination of electrophilic stress through sulfur adduct formation of electrophiles. Nrf2 pathway, a canonical redox signaling, does not function redundantly with RSS-generating CSE pathway because CSE/Nrf2 double-KO mice and their hepatocytes were more sensitive to various electrophiles than their single-KO counterparts. Thus, RSS acts as a critical regulator for electrophilic stress. In fact, stage- and region-specific RSS content is likely to affect selective methylmercury cytotoxicity in rat brain.