These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Protein and peptide alkoxyl radicals can give rise to C-terminal decarboxylation and backbone cleavage.
    Author: Davies MJ.
    Journal: Arch Biochem Biophys; 1996 Dec 01; 336(1):163-72. PubMed ID: 8951048.
    Abstract:
    Previous studies have demonstrated that gamma-irradiation of some free amino acids in the presence of oxygen gives high yields of side-chain hydroperoxides. It is shown in the present study that N-acetyl amino acids and peptides also give high levels of hydroperoxides on gamma-irradiation, even when the free amino acid does not, and that hydroperoxides can be formed on both the backbone (at alpha-carbon positions) and the side chain. Decomposition of alpha-carbon hydroperoxides by Fe(II)-EDTA gives initially an alkoxyl radical via a pseudo-Fenton reaction; these radicals fragment rapidly with k estimated as > or = 10(7) s(-1). With N-acetyl amino acids and dipeptides beta-scission of an alkoxyl radical at the C-terminal alpha-carbon results in C-terminal decarboxylation, with release of CO2.-; the corresponding amides undergo deamidation with release of .C(O)NH2. Cyclic dipeptides undergo analogous reactions with cleavage of the alpha-carbon to carbonyl-carbon bond and formation of .C(O)NHR radicals. With substrates with large aliphatic side chains, radicals from side-chain hydroperoxides are also observed. C-terminal decarboxylation and backbone fragmentation are also observed with larger peptides, amino acid homopolymers, and proteins. These observations suggest that alpha-carbon alkoxyl radicals may be key intermediates in the fragmentation of proteins in the presence of oxygen. The radicals released in these processes may react further to form O2.-, or redox cycle metal ions. These reactions may be propagating processes during protein chain oxidation.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]