Proteins, oxidation

K) bottom panel) MCD spectra (1.7 K). -----------, reduced protein oxidized... 

Yet further oxidation removes at least one more electron from each P cluster with an +90 mV to yield a protein oxidized by a total of at least eight electrons and with EPR signals from mixed spin states of S = I and S = I (42, 47). The combined integrations of these signals demonstrated that their intensity was equivalent to that of the FeMoco EPR signals in the same preparations. This provided the first evidence (47) that MoFe proteins contained equivalent numbers of FeMoco centers and P clusters and that P clusters contained 8 Fe atoms. Previously it had been considered that the P clusters were fully reduced Fe4S4 clusters and thus that there were two P clusters for every FeMoco center per molecule. 

Carney, J.M., Starke-Reed, P.E., Oliver, C.N., Landrum, R.W., Cheng, M.S. and Wu, J.F. (1991). Reversal of age-related increase in brain protein oxidation, decrease in enzyme activity, and loss in temporal and spatial memory by chronic administration of the spin-trapping compound N-tert-butyl-cr-phenylnitrone. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 88, 3633-3636. 

From a broader perspective, protein oxidation can result in covalent modification at many sites other than just at cysteine thiols. The earliest reports on protein oxidation date from the first decade of the twentieth century, but it took many more years to characterize these reactions and their products (Dakin, 1906). 

The significance of protein oxidation became paramount with the advent of recombinant protein biologies used as human therapeutics. Careful characterization of protein stability is essential to maintaining the efficacy of protein pharmaceuticals. If even a single side chain amino acid residue becomes oxidized, then a protein therapeutic may not have the same activity in vivo as the unmodified protein. 

The reactive oxygen species involved with protein oxidation can be generally categorized according to their relative reactivity as follows ... 

Unfortunately, there are no universal methods to detect all types of protein oxidation, because the products formed can be so diverse in nature. However, some forms of protein oxidation can be assayed using chemical modification (Davies et al., 1999 Shacter, 2000). In particular, the formation of carbonyl groups on proteins can be targeted using the reagent 2,4-dinitrophenyl-hydrazine (DNPH). This compound reacts with aldehydes to form 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives, which create chromogenic modifications that can be detected at high sensitivity in microplate assays or Western blot analysis (Buss et al., 1997 Winterbourn et al., 1999). 

The O-ECAT reagent is a superior alternative to the use of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH Chapter 1, Section 1.1) in the study of protein oxidation. DNPH modification produces detectable complexes, but it does not provide information as to what amino acids are involved. O-ECAT modifies carbonyl end products of protein oxidation and in addition, it can provide exact information as to the amino acids that were oxidized. Mass spec analysis of modified proteins performed after proteolysis gives the exact amino acid sequences including the sites of O-ECAT reagent modification. The same antibody that is specific for the metal chelate portion of the standard ECAT reagent also can be used to capture and detect the O-ECAT... 

Dissolve a glycoprotein to be oxidized in 0.1 M sodium acetate, pH 5.5 (oxidation buffer), at a concentration of 2-10mg/ml. PBS at physiological pH may be used for this reaction, as well. The use of cold buffers for the oxidation step will limit the extent of carbohydrate oxidation and the potential for protein oxidation. 

Lee, S., Young, N.L., Whetstone, P.A., Cheal, S.M., Benner, W.H., Lebrilla, C.B., and Meares, C.F. (2006) A method to site-specifically identify and quantitate carbonyl end products of protein oxidation using oxidation-dependent element coded affinity tags (O-ECAT) and nanoLiquid chromatography Fourier transform mass spectrometry./. Proteome Res. 5(3), 539-547. 

Shacter, E. (2000) Quantification and significance of protein oxidation in biological samples. Drug Metab. Rev. 32, 307-326. 

Protein Oxidation Initiated by Peroxynitrite, Nitric Oxide, and Hypoclorite... 

Inhibition of Protein Oxidation by Antioxidants and Free Radical Scavengers... 

Several compounds can be oxidized by peroxidases by a free radical mechanism. Among various substrates of peroxidases, L-tyrosine attracts a great interest as an important phenolic compound containing at 100 200 pmol 1 1 in plasma and cells, which can be involved in lipid and protein oxidation. In 1980, Ralston and Dunford [187] have shown that HRP Compound II oxidizes L-tyrosine and 3,5-diiodo-L-tyrosine with pH-dependent reaction rates. Ohtaki et al. [188] measured the rate constants for the reactions of hog thyroid peroxidase Compounds I and II with L-tyrosine (Table 22.1) and showed that Compound I was reduced directly to ferric enzyme. Thus, in this case the reaction of Compound I with L-tyrosine proceeds by two-electron mechanism. In subsequent work these authors have shown [189] that at physiological pH TPO catalyzed the two-electron oxidation not only L-tyrosine but also D-tyrosine, A -acetyltyrosinamide, and monoiodotyrosine, whereas diiodotyrosine was oxidized by a one-electron mechanism. 

Similar to lipids the oxidation of proteins has already been studied for more than 20 years. Before discussing the data on protein oxidation, it should be mentioned that many associated questions were already considered in previous chapters. For example, the oxidation of lipoproteins, which is closely connected with the problems of nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation was discussed in Chapter 25. Many questions on the interaction of superoxide and nitric oxide with enzymes including the inhibition of enzymatic activities of prooxidant and antioxidant enzymes are considered in Chapters 22 and 30. Therefore, the findings reported in those chapters should be taken into account for considering the data presented in this chapter. 

In earlier studies the in vitro transition metal-catalyzed oxidation of proteins and the interaction of proteins with free radicals have been studied. In 1983, Levine [1] showed that the oxidative inactivation of enzymes and the oxidative modification of proteins resulted in the formation of protein carbonyl derivatives. These derivatives easily react with dinitrophenyl-hydrazine (DNPH) to form protein hydrazones, which were used for the detection of protein carbonyl content. Using this method and spin-trapping with PBN, it has been demonstrated [2,3] that protein oxidation and inactivation of glutamine synthetase (a key enzyme in the regulation of amino acid metabolism and the brain L-glutamate and y-aminobutyric acid levels) were sharply enhanced during ischemia- and reperfusion-induced injury in gerbil brain. 

FIGURE 27.1 Prooxidants and antioxidants in protein oxidation and proteolysis of oxidized proteins. (From ER Stadtman, RL Levine. Ann NY Acad Sci 899 191-208, 2000. With permission.)... 

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