To understand the role of nitric oxide (NO) in controlling the specific DNA-binding activities of transcriptional factors, we investigated the in vitro effect of the NO-donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on the AP-1 activity of cultured mouse cerebellar granule cells. A gel-mobility assay showed that SNP inhibited AP-1 activity in the presence, but not the absence of dithiothreitol (DTT). This DTT-dependent inhibition of AP-1 activity by SNP corresponded with the activation of the chemical reactivity of SNP with DTT, which can be monitored by the production of nitrite (NO2-). In contrast, diamide, a typical sulfhydryl oxidizing agent, inhibited AP-1 activity in the absence of DTT and its inhibitory effect was reversed competitively by DTT. Studies using structurally or functionally related analogues of SNP demonstrated that S-nitrosylation of the AP-1 moiety mediated by some NO-carriers but not by free NO, which can be produced by the chemical reaction of SNP with DTT, was responsible for the inhibition of AP-1 activity, suggesting NO-mediated regulation of the AP-1 transcriptional factor.