TY - JOUR

T1 - Effect of macromolecular crowding on protein oxidation

T2 - Consequences on the rate, extent and oxidation pathways

AU - Fuentes-Lemus, Eduardo

AU - Reyes, Juan Sebastián

AU - Gamon, Luke F.

AU - López-Alarcón, Camilo

AU - Davies, Michael J.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Biological systems are heterogeneous and crowded environments. Such packed milieus are expected to modulate reactions both inside and outside the cell, including protein oxidation. In this work, we explored the effect of macromolecular crowding on the rate and extent of oxidation of Trp and Tyr, in free amino acids, peptides and proteins. These species were chosen as they are readily oxidized and contribute to damage propagation. Dextran was employed as an inert crowding agent, as this polymer decreases the fraction of volume available to other (macro)molecules. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that dextran enhanced the rate of oxidation of free Trp, and peptide Trp, elicited by AAPH-derived peroxyl radicals. For free Trp, the rates of oxidation were 15.0 ± 2.1 and 30.5 ± 3.4 μM min−1 without and with dextran (60 mg mL−1) respectively. Significant increases were also detected for peptide-incorporated Trp. Dextran increased the extent of Trp consumption (up to 2-fold) and induced short chain reactions. In contrast, Tyr oxidation was not affected by the presence of dextran. Studies on proteins, using SDS-PAGE and LC-MS, indicated that oxidation was also affected by crowding, with enhanced amino acid loss (45% for casein), chain reactions and altered extents of oligomer formation. The overall effects of dextran-mediated crowding were however dependent on the protein structure. Overall, these data indicate that molecular crowding, as commonly encountered in biological systems affect the rates, and extents of oxidation, and particularly of Trp residues, illustrating the importance of appropriate choice of in vitro systems to study biological oxidations.

AB - Biological systems are heterogeneous and crowded environments. Such packed milieus are expected to modulate reactions both inside and outside the cell, including protein oxidation. In this work, we explored the effect of macromolecular crowding on the rate and extent of oxidation of Trp and Tyr, in free amino acids, peptides and proteins. These species were chosen as they are readily oxidized and contribute to damage propagation. Dextran was employed as an inert crowding agent, as this polymer decreases the fraction of volume available to other (macro)molecules. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that dextran enhanced the rate of oxidation of free Trp, and peptide Trp, elicited by AAPH-derived peroxyl radicals. For free Trp, the rates of oxidation were 15.0 ± 2.1 and 30.5 ± 3.4 μM min−1 without and with dextran (60 mg mL−1) respectively. Significant increases were also detected for peptide-incorporated Trp. Dextran increased the extent of Trp consumption (up to 2-fold) and induced short chain reactions. In contrast, Tyr oxidation was not affected by the presence of dextran. Studies on proteins, using SDS-PAGE and LC-MS, indicated that oxidation was also affected by crowding, with enhanced amino acid loss (45% for casein), chain reactions and altered extents of oligomer formation. The overall effects of dextran-mediated crowding were however dependent on the protein structure. Overall, these data indicate that molecular crowding, as commonly encountered in biological systems affect the rates, and extents of oxidation, and particularly of Trp residues, illustrating the importance of appropriate choice of in vitro systems to study biological oxidations.

KW - Chain reactions

KW - Macromolecular crowding

KW - Peroxyl radicals

KW - Protein oxidation

KW - Tryptophan

KW - Tyrosine

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120005490&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.redox.2021.102202

DO - 10.1016/j.redox.2021.102202

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34856437

AN - SCOPUS:85120005490

VL - 48

JO - Redox Biology

JF - Redox Biology

SN - 2213-2317

M1 - 102202

ER -