Nuclear glutathione

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta Vol. 1830; no. 5; pp. 3304 - 3316
• Main Authors: García-Giménez, José Luis, Markovic, Jelena, Dasí, Francisco, Queval, Guillaume, Schnaubelt, Daniel, Foyer, Christine H., Pallardó, Federico V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.05.2013
• Subjects: abiotic stress; amino acids; Animals; apoptosis; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; cell communication; Cell cycle; Cell Cycle - physiology; Cell Death - physiology; Cell Growth Processes - physiology; Cell Nucleus - genetics; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; cell proliferation; Chromatin; disulfide bonds; DNA; DNA repair; DNA Replication; epigenetics; eukaryotic cells; Glutathione; Glutathione - genetics; Glutathione - metabolism; GSH; homeostasis; Humans; mitosis; nuclear proteins; Nucleus; Oxidation-Reduction; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; plants (botany); Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation; proteasome endopeptidase complex; protein degradation; protein synthesis; Transcription factors; Nucleus; Chromatin; Transcription factors; Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation; Cell cycle; Glutathione
• ISSN: 0304-4165; 0006-3002; 1872-8006
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2012.10.005

Glutathione (GSH) is a linchpin of cellular defences in plants and animals with physiologically-important roles in the protection of cells from biotic and abiotic stresses. Moreover, glutathione participates in numerous metabolic and cell signalling processes including protein synthesis and amino acid transport, DNA repair and the control of cell division and cell suicide programmes. While it is has long been appreciated that cellular glutathione homeostasis is regulated by factors such as synthesis, degradation, transport, and redox turnover, relatively little attention has been paid to the influence of the intracellular partitioning on glutathione and its implications for the regulation of cell functions and signalling. We focus here on the functions of glutathione in the nucleus, particularly in relation to physiological processes such as the cell cycle and cell death. The sequestration of GSH in the nucleus of proliferating animal and plant cells suggests that common redox mechanisms exist for DNA regulation in G1 and mitosis in all eukaryotes. We propose that glutathione acts as “redox sensor” at the onset of DNA synthesis with roles in maintaining the nuclear architecture by providing the appropriate redox environment for the DNA replication and safeguarding DNA integrity. In addition, nuclear GSH may be involved in epigenetic phenomena and in the control of nuclear protein degradation by nuclear proteasome. Moreover, by increasing the nuclear GSH pool and reducing disulfide bonds on nuclear proteins at the onset of cell proliferation, an appropriate redox environment is generated for the stimulation of chromatin decompaction. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Cellular functions of glutathione. ► Nuclear glutathione is essential for cell proliferation in mammalian and plant cells. ► Nuclear glutathione regulates transcription factors. ► Epigenetic marks in histones are associated with changes in nuclear GSH.