Hydrogen sulfide: A novel component in Arabidopsis peroxisomes which triggers catalase inhibition.

Plant peroxisomes have the capacity to generate different reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), such as H2 O2 , superoxide radical (O2 · - ), nitric oxide and peroxynitrite (ONOO- ). These organelles have an active nitro-oxidative metabolism which can be exacerbated by adverse stress conditions. Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) is a new signaling gasotransmitter which can mediate the posttranslational modification (PTM) persulfidation. We used Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic seedlings expressing cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) fused to a canonical peroxisome targeting signal 1 (PTS1) to visualize peroxisomes in living cells, as well as a specific fluorescent probe which showed that peroxisomes contain H2 S. H2 S was also detected in chloroplasts under glyphosate-induced oxidative stress conditions. Peroxisomal enzyme activities, including catalase, photorespiratory H2 O2 -generating glycolate oxidase (GOX) and hydroxypyruvate reductase (HPR), were assayed in vitro with a H2 S donor. In line with the persulfidation of this enzyme, catalase activity declined significantly in the presence of the H2 S donor. To corroborate the inhibitory effect of H2 S on catalase activity, we also assayed pure catalase from bovine liver and pepper fruit-enriched samples, in which catalase activity was inhibited. Taken together, these data provide evidence of the presence of H2 S in plant peroxisomes which appears to regulate catalase activity and, consequently, the peroxisomal H2 O2 metabolism.