Proteins hydroxyproline

It is important to be able to determine which chromatography column fractions contain polysaccharides and, specifically, which fractions contain hexosyl, pentosyl, or uronosyl residues. It is also important to detect in the fractions the presence of proteins and the presence of the specific amino acid characteristic of wall proteins, hydroxyproline. The detection of these substances is carried out by facile and sensitive colorimetric procedures. Although these reactions are not discussed here, the most frequently used colorimetric assays in our laboratory are the anthrone assay for detection of hexosyl residues 50), the orcinol assay for detecting pentosyl residues 50), the m-hydroxy-diphenyl assay for detection of uronosyl residues 35), the Lowry assay for detection of proteins 90), and the Kivirikko and Liesmaa assay for the detection of hydroxyprolyl residues 76). 

Hydroxylated amino acids (eg, 4-hydroxyproline, 5-hydroxylysine) and A/-methylated amino acids (eg, /V-methylhistidine) are obtained by the acid hydrolysis of proteins. y-Carboxyglutamic acid occurs as a component of some sections of protein molecules it decarboxylates spontaneously to L-glutamate at low pH. These examples are formed upon the nontranslational modification of protein and are often called secondary protein amino acids... 

FIGURE 4.4 The structures of several atniuo acids that are less cotntnou but nevertheless found in certain proteins. Hydroxylysine and hydroxyproline are found in connective-tissue proteins, pyroglutatnic acid is found in bacteriorhodopsin (a protein in Halohacterium halohium), and atninoadipic acid is found in proteins isolated from corn. 

The tendencies of the amino acids to stabilize or destabilize a-helices are different in typical proteins than in polyamino acids. The occurrence of the common amino acids in helices is summarized in Table 6.1. Notably, proline (and hydroxyproline) act as helix breakers due to their unique structure, which fixes the value of the —N—C bond angle. Helices can be formed from either... 

Schoeninger, M.J. and DeNiro, M.J. 1984 Nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of bone collagen from marine and terrestrial animals. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 48 625-639. Schuette, S. A., Hegsted, M., Zemel, B. and Linkswiler, H.M. 1981 Renal acid, urinary cyclic AMP, and hydroxyproline excretion as affected by level of protein, sulfur amino acids and phosphorus intake. Journal of Nutrition 111 2106-2116. 

Table 1 presents the chemical composition and some properties of both gums reported by Osman et al., 1993 and Williams Phillips, et al., 2000. Despite having different protein content, amino acid composition is similar in both gums. Recently, Mahendran et al., 2008, reported the GA amino acid composition in Acacia Senegal, being rich in hydroxyproline, serine, threonine, leucine, glycine, histidine. Table 2. 

Animal glue is a complex colloidal mixture of proteins. The related gelatins are also complex heterogeneous mixtures of proteins. They are strongly hydrophilic and rich in the amino acids glycine, proline, lysine, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine. Casein is a phosphoprotein obtained from the milk of mammals. 

Figure 11.3 The effect of imino acids on protein structure. The presence of the imino acids proline and hydroxyproline introduces a constraint into the angles of the peptide bond which results in a bend in the previously regular chain structure.

Isolation of individual amino acids started about 1820 by 1904 all of the naturally occurring amino acids in proteins had been isolated except methionine (Mueller, 1922) and threonine (Rose, 1937). One of the earliest methods for the separation of amino acids was through the differential volatility of their methyl or ethyl esters (Emil Fischer, 1901). This approach led to the discovery of valine, proline, and hydroxyproline. [In the 1970s Fischer s method was modified for microanalysis of proteins, separating the amino acid esters by gas phase chromatography. Separation is now usually performed by hplc (high pressure liquid chromatography).]... 

The method of protein hydrolysis was important acid hydrolysis caused destruction of tryptophan but alkaline treatment gave even greater losses of other amino acids especially cystine. The amino acids were usually separated by then standard chemical procedures based on differences in solubility, selective precipitation by agents such as Reinecke salt (proline and hydroxyproline), or flavianic acid (arginine). 

The many (possibly more than 30) types of collagens found in human connective tissues have substantially the same chemical structure consisting mainly of glycine with smaller amounts of proline and some lysine and alanine. In addition, there are two unusual amino acids, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, neither of which has a corresponding base-triplet or codon within the genetic code. There is therefore, extensive post-translational modification of the protein by hydroxylation and also by glycosylation reactions. 

Although the exact amino acid sequence differs between the various collagens, the primary structure usually conforms to a repeating tripeptide Gly-X-Y where X and Y are, proline, lysine, or hydroxyproline, hydroxylysine respectively. A single unit of collagen is a triple helix composed of three a chains. This conformation differs from the common a helix found in proteins in two important ways ... 

---