Dataset Information

Racemization at the Asp 58 residue in ?A-crystallin from the lens of high myopic cataract patients.

ABSTRACT: Post-translational modifications in lens proteins are key causal factors in cataract. As the most abundant post-translational modification in the lens, racemization may be closely related to the pathogenesis of cataract. Racemization of ?A-crystallin, a crucial structural and heat shock protein in the human lens, could significantly influence its structure and function. In previous studies, elevated racemization from l-Asp 58 to d-isoAsp58 in ?A-crystallin has been found in age-related cataract (ARC) lenses compared to normal aged human lenses. However, the role of racemization in high myopic cataract (HMC), which is characterized by an early onset of nuclear cataract, remains unknown. In the current study, apparently different from ARC, significantly increased racemization from l-Asp 58 to d-Asp 58 in ?A-crystallin was identified in HMC lenses. The average racemization rates for each Asp isoform were calculated in ARC and HMC group. In ARC patients, the conversion of l-Asp 58 to d-isoAsp 58, up to 31.89%, accounted for the main proportion in racemization, which was in accordance with the previous studies. However, in HMC lenses, the conversion of l-Asp 58 to d-Asp 58, as high as 35.44%, accounted for the largest proportion of racemization in ?A-crystallin. The different trend in the conversion of ?A-crystallin by racemization, especially the elevated level of d-Asp 58 in HMC lenses, might prompt early cataractogenesis and a possible explanation of distinct phenotypes of cataract in HMC.

SUBMITTER: Zhu XJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5783843 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Racemization at the Asp 58 residue in αA-crystallin from the lens of high myopic cataract patients.

Zhu Xiang-Jia XJ Zhang Ke-Ke KK He Wen-Wen WW Du Yu Y Hooi Michelle M Lu Yi Y

Journal of cellular and molecular medicine 20171010 2

Post-translational modifications in lens proteins are key causal factors in cataract. As the most abundant post-translational modification in the lens, racemization may be closely related to the pathogenesis of cataract. Racemization of αA-crystallin, a crucial structural and heat shock protein in the human lens, could significantly influence its structure and function. In previous studies, elevated racemization from l-Asp 58 to d-isoAsp58 in αA-crystallin has been found in age-related cataract ...[more]

PMID: 28994184

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Project description:Post-translational modifications are often detected in age-related diseases associated with protein misfolding such as cataracts from aged lenses. One of the major post-translational modifications is the isomerization of aspartate residues (L-isoAsp), which could be non-enzymatically and spontaneously occurring in proteins, resulting in various effects on the structure and function of proteins including short peptides. We have reported that the structure and function of an αA66-80 peptide, corresponding to the 66-80 (66SDRDKFVIFLDVKHF80) fragment of human lens αA-crystallin, was dramatically altered by the isomerization of aspartate residue (Asp) at position 76. In the current study, we observed amyloid-like fibrils of L-isoAsp containing αA66-80 using electron microscopy. The contribution of each amino acid for the peptide structure was further evaluated by circular dichroism (CD), bis-ANS, and thioflavin T fluorescence using 14 alanine substituents of αA66-80, including L-isoAsp at position 76. CD of 14 alanine substituents demonstrated random coiled structures except for the substituents of positively charged residues. Bis-ANS fluorescence of peptide with substitution of hydrophobic residue with alanine revealed decreased hydrophobicity of the peptide. Thioflavin T fluorescence also showed that the hydrophobicity around Asp76 of the peptide is important for the formation of amyloid-like fibrils. One of the substitutes, H79A (SDRDKFVIFL(L-isoD)VKAF) demonstrated an exact β-sheet structure in CD and highly increased Thioflavin T fluorescence. This phenomenon was inhibited by the addition of protein-L-isoaspartate O-methyltransferase (PIMT), which is an enzyme that changes L-isoAsp into Asp. These interactions were observed even after the formation of amyloid-like fibrils. Thus, isomerization of Asp in peptide is key to form fibrils of αA-crystallin-derived peptide, and L-isoAsp on fibrils can be a candidate for disassembling amyloid-like fibrils of αA-crystallin-derived peptides.

Dataset Information

Racemization at the Asp 58 residue in ?A-crystallin from the lens of high myopic cataract patients.

Publications

Racemization at the Asp 58 residue in αA-crystallin from the lens of high myopic cataract patients.

Similar Datasets

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