Proteomic analysis of Arabidopsis protein S-nitrosylation in response to inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae

Nitric oxide (NO) is a key signaling molecule in plants, being its biological effects mainly mediated through S-nitrosylation of cysteine thiols. Using the biotin switch method combined with mass spectrometry analysis we have identified 127 targets of S-nitrosylation in Arabidopsis cell suspension cultures and leaves challenged with virulent and avirulent isolates of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. The NO targets are proteins associated with carbon, nitrogen, and sulpfur metabolism, photosynthesis, the cytoskeleton, stress-, pathogen- and redox-related and signaling proteins. Some proteins were previously identified in plants and mammals, while others (63%) represent novel targets of S-nitrosylation. Our data suggest that NO might be orchestrating the whole plant physiology, presumably through covalent modification of proteins.