- Peptide backbone cleavage by α-amidation is enhanced at methionine residues
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Cleavage reactions at backbone loci are one of the consequences of oxidation of proteins and peptides. During α-amidation, the Cα-N bond in the backbone is cleaved under formation of an N-terminal peptide amide and a C-terminal keto acyl peptide. On the basis of earlier works, a facilitation of α-amidation by the thioether group of adjacent methionine side chains was proposed. This reaction was characterized by using benzoylmethionine and benzoyl alanylmethionine as peptidemodels. The decomposition of benzoylated amino acids (benzoyl-methionine, benzoyl-alanine, and benzoyl-methionine sulfoxide) to benzamide in the presence of different carbohydrate compounds (reducing sugars, Amadori products, and reductones) was studied during incubation for up to 48h at 80 °C in acetate-buffered solution (pH 6.0). Small amounts of benzamide (0.3-1.5mol%) were formed in the presence of all sugars and from all benzoylated species. However, benzamide formation was strongly enhanced, when benzoyl methionine was incubated in the presence of reductones and Amadori compounds (3.5-4.2mol%). The reaction was found to be intramolecular, because α-amidation of a similar 4-methylbenzoylated amino acid was not enhanced in the presence of benzoyl-methionine and carbohydrate compounds. In the peptide benzoyl-alanyl-methionine, α-amidation at themethionine residue is preferred over α-amidation at the benzoyl peptide bond. We propose here a mechanism for the enhancement of α-amidation at methionine residues.
- Hellwig, Michael,L?bmann, Katja,Orywol, Tom
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- Protein backbone modification by novel C(α)-C side-chain scission
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α-Ketoamide (-NH-CO-CO-) units in intact peptides are generated from Ser/Thr residues via Ru(VIII)-catalyzed C(α)-C side-chain scission. Facets associated with this novel α-carbon modification have been probed with 75 peptides chosen to represent every possible peptide environment. The reactions were carried out at room temperature with in situ generated Ru(VIII) in biphasic (CH3CN/CCl4/pH 3 phosphate buffer, 1:1:2 v/v) medium. Whereas Ser/Thr residues placed at the C-terminal end in peptides undergo N-C bond scission leading to des-Ser/Thr peptide amides - thus acting as Gly equivalents in simulating the α-amidating action of pituitary enzymes - those located at the N-terminal or nonterminal or even at the C-terminal position (protected as amide) were found to undergo oxidative C-C bond scission (involving C(α) and C side-chain bond), resulting in the generation of α-ketoamide (-NH-CO-CO-) units in the intact peptide backbone. The difference in the products arising from C(α)-C side-chain scission of Ser/Thr esters and amides is rationalized on the basis of a common mechanism involving either oxaloesters [PeP-NH-CO-COX; X = OMe] or oxalamides [X = NH2 or NH-Pep] arising from the oxidation of initially formed carbinolamide intermediates [Pep-NH-CH(OH)-COX], wherein, while the former are shown to undergo hydrolysis to terminal amides [Pep-NH2], the oxalamides are found to be stable to hydrolysis. Ancillary noteworthy findings are those of peptide bond scission when contiguous Ser-Ser/Thr-Thr residues are present and the oxidative cleavage at C-terminal Tyr/Trp sites generating des amides. The oxidative methodology presented here is mild, simple, and practical and proceeds with chiral retention. The insensitivity of a large number of amino acid residues, such as Gly, Ala, Leu, Asn, Gln, Asp, Glu, Pro, Arg, Phe, Lys, Val, and Aib, and N-protecting groups, such as Boc, Z, and Bz, toward Ru(VIII) under the experimental conditions should make this methodology practical and useful. Sulfur-containing amino acids Cys and Met get oxidized to sulfones in the products.
- Ranganathan,Vaish,Shah
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p. 6545 - 6557
(2007/10/02)
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