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Organisms must respond to hypoxia to preserve oxygen homeostasis. We identify a thiol oxidase, previously assigned as cysteamine (2-aminoethanethiol) dioxygenase (ADO), as a low oxygen affinity (high-K mO2) amino-terminal cysteine dioxygenase that transduces the oxygen-regulated stability of proteins by the N-degron pathway in human cells. ADO catalyzes the conversion of amino-terminal cysteine to cysteine sulfinic acid and is related to the plant cysteine oxidases that mediate responses to hypoxia by an identical posttranslational modification. We show in human cells that ADO regulates RGS4/5 (regulator of G protein signaling) N-degron substrates, modulates G protein-coupled calcium ion signals and mitogen-activated protein kinase activity, and that its activity extends to other N-cysteine proteins including the angiogenic cytokine interleukin-32. Identification of a conserved enzymatic oxygen sensor in multicellular eukaryotes opens routes to better understanding and therapeutic targeting of adaptive responses to hypoxia.

Original publication

DOI

10.1126/science.aaw0112

Type

Journal article

Journal

Science

Publication Date

05/07/2019

Volume

365

Pages

65 - 69

Keywords

Anaerobiosis, Arabidopsis, Calcium, Calcium Signaling, Cell Line, Tumor, Cysteine, Dioxygenases, Humans, Interleukins, MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 5, Oxygen, RGS Proteins