Nitrosopeptide mapping:: A novel methodology reveals S-nitrosylation of Dexras1 on a single cysteine residue

S-Nitrosylation of specific cysteine residues is a reversible signaling mechanism of nitric oxide (NO) generated by NO synthase (NOS) enzymes. In some proteins, evidence has accumulated that more than one cysteine can be S-nitrosylated; however, it is difficult to distinguish S-nitrosylation on separate cysteine residues. We report a novel simple, sensitive, and specific procedure for nitrosopeptide mapping. Dexras1 is a monomeric G protein whose guanine nucleotide exchange activity is augmented by NO; the identity and number of its S-nitrosylated cysteines is unknown. We describe the radiolabeling of S-nitrosylated cysteine residues in Dexras1. A nitrosopeptide map, generated by two-dimensional peptide chromatography, reveals that only a single cysteine is S-nitrosylated following NO exposure. Mutagenesis of Cys11 abolished the effect of NO donors on Dexras1, implicating this residue in the NO-mediated activation of Dexras1.