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REVIEW article

Front. Chem. Biol.
Sec. Bioinorganic Chemistry
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fchbi.2024.1503390
This article is part of the Research Topic Linking Chemistry to Biology and Medicine via Metal ions: Developed from the 16th International Symposium on Applied Bioinorganic Chemistry View all 3 articles

Cysteine-Rich Zinc Fingers and the Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Pathway

Provisionally accepted
Andrew Tyler Stoltzfus Andrew Tyler Stoltzfus Sarah Lucie Jane Michel Sarah Lucie Jane Michel *
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Inflammation-related disorders, such as autoimmune diseases and cancer, impose a significant global health burden. Zinc finger proteins (ZFs) are ubiquitous metalloproteins which regulate inflammation and many biological signaling pathways related to growth, development, and immune function. Numerous ZFs are involved in the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) pathway, associating them with inflammation-related diseases that feature chronically elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines. This review highlights the predominance of ZFs in NFκB-related signaling and summarize the breadth of functions that these proteins perform. The cysteine-specific post-translational modification (PTM) of persulfidation is also discussed in the context of these cysteine-rich ZFs, including what is known from the few available reports on the functional implications of ZF persulfidation. Persulfidation, mediated by endogenously produced hydrogen sulfide (H2S), has a recently established role in signaling inflammation. This work will summarize the known connections between ZFs and persulfidation and can aid in the development of related therapies.

    Keywords: zinc finger, Inflammation, Hydrogen Sulfide, post-translational modification, Persulfidation

    Received: 28 Sep 2024; Accepted: 06 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Stoltzfus and Michel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sarah Lucie Jane Michel, University of Maryland, Baltimore, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.