Chemical modifications of tryptophan residues in peptides and proteins

Chemical protein modifications facilitate the investigation of natural posttranslational protein modifications and allow the design of proteins with new functions. Proteins can be modified at a late stage on amino acid side chains by chemical methods. The indole moiety of tryptophan residues is an emerging target of such chemical modification strategies because of its unique reactivity and low abundance. This review provides an overview of the recently developed methods of tryptophan modification at the peptide and protein levels.     

Evaluation of lipid exposure of tryptophan residues in membrane peptides and proteins

Fluorescence quenching is used to gain information on the exposure of tryptophan residues to lipid in membrane-bound proteins and peptides. A protocol is developed to calculate this exposure, based on a comparison of quenching efficiency and of a fluorescence lifetime (or quantum yield) measured for a protein and for a model tryptophan-containing compound. Various methods of analysis of depth-dependent quenching are compared and three universal measures of quenching profile are derived. One of the measures, related to the area under profile, is used to estimate quenching efficiency. The method is applied to single tryptophan mutants of a membrane-anchoring nonpolar peptide of cytochrome b(5) and of an outer membrane protein A. Analysis of quenching of the cytochrome's nonpolar peptide by a set of four brominated lipids reveals a temperature-controlled reversible conformational change, resulting in increased exposure of tryptophan to lipid and delocalization of its transverse position. Kinetic quenching profiles and fluorescence binding kinetics reported by Kleinschmidt et al. (Biochemistry (1999) 38, 5006-5016) were analyzed to extract information on the relative exposure of tryptophan residues during folding of an outer membrane protein A. Trp-102, which translocates across the bilayer, was found to be noticeably shielded from the lipid environment throughout the folding event compared to Trp-7, which remains on the cis side. The approach described here provides a new tool for studies of low-resolution structure and conformational transitions in membrane proteins and peptides.     

D-amino acid residues in peptides and proteins

We have investigated the D-amino acid residues present in Protein Data Bank (PDB) entries, categorizing them into "real" D-residues and artifacts. In polypeptide chains of more than 20 residues, only a single instance of a "real" D-residue, other than those deliberately designed or engineered, was found. This example was the result of a slow chemical epimerization process. Another 12 designed D-residues were found in these longer polypeptide chains. Smaller peptides of 20 or fewer residues contained 479 "real" D-residues, the majority in various gramicidin, actinomycin, or cyclosporin structures. We found 148 PDB entries with "real" D-residues and a further 186, in which all apparent D-residues are artifacts. Investigating the (phi, psi) preferences of the "real" D-residues, we found that the region around (-60 degrees, -45 degrees ) was almost completely unoccupied, even though it is not formally disallowed. We link the low propensity to occupy this region with the alpha-helix destabilizing properties of D-residues.     

Modification of tryptophan and tryptophan residues in proteins by reactive nitrogen species.

Formation of 3-nitrotyrosine by the reaction between reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and tyrosine residues in proteins has been analyzed extensively and it is used widely as a biomarker of pathophysiological and physiological conditions mediated by RNS. In contrast, few studies on the nitration of tryptophan have been reported. This review provides an overview of the studies on tryptophan modifications by RNS and points out the possible importance of its modification in pathophysiological and physiological conditions. Free tryptophan can be modified to several nitrated products (1-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-), 1-N-nitroso product, and several oxidized products by reaction with various RNS, depending on the conditions used. Among them, 1-N-nitrosotryptophan and 6-nitrotryptophan (6-NO(2)Trp) have been found as the abundant products in the reaction with peroxynitrite, and 6-NO(2)Trp has been the most abundant product in the reaction with the peroxidase/hydrogen peroxide/nitrite systems. 6-NO(2)Trp has also been observed as the most abundant nitrated product of the reactions between peroxynitrite or myeloperoxidase/hydrogen peroxide/nitrite and tryptophan residues both in human Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase and in bovine serum albumin, as well as the reaction of peroxynitrite with myoglobin and hemoglobin. Several oxidized products have also been identified in the modified Cu,Zn-SOD. However, no 1-N-nitrosotryptophan and 1-N-nitrotryptophan has been observed in the proteins reacted with peroxynitrite or the myeloperoxidase/H(2)O(2)/nitrite system. The modification of tryptophan residues in proteins may occur at a more limited number of sites in vivo than that of tyrosine residues, since tryptophan residues are more buried inside proteins and exist less frequently in proteins, generally. However, surface-exposed tryptophan residues tend to participate in the interaction with the other molecules, therefore the modification of those tryptophans may result in modulation of the specific interaction of proteins and enzymes with other molecules.     

Chemical modification of tryptophan residues and stability changes in proteins

The role of tryptophan residues in the stability of proteins was studied by ozone oxidation, which causes a small change in the tryptophan side chain. Trp 187 of the constant fragment of a type lambda immunoglobulin light chain, Trp 59 of ribonuclease T1, and Trp 62 of hen egg white lysozyme were oxidized specifically by ozone to N'-formylkynurenine or kynurenine. Judging from their circular dichroic and fluorescence spectra, these modified proteins were found to be the same as those of the respective intact proteins. However, even the slight modification of a single tryptophan residue produced a large decrease in the stability of these proteins to guanidine hydrochloride and heat. The smaller the extent of exposure of the tryptophan residue, the greater the effect of the modification on the stability. The formal kinetic mechanism of unfolding and refolding by guanidine hydrochloride of the CL fragment was not altered by tryptophan oxidation, but the rate constants for unfolding and refolding changed. The thermal unfolding transitions were analyzed to obtain the thermodynamic parameters. The enthalpy and entropy changes for the modified proteins were larger than the respective values for the intact proteins.     

Excitation energy transfer from tryptophan residues of peptides and intrinsic proteins to diphenylhexatriene in phospholipid vesicles and biological membranes

An efficient excitation energy transfer from tryptophan residues of intrinsic membrane proteins to an extrinsic fluorescent probe (diphenylhexatriene) has been demonstrated in rat erythrocyte ghosts. To correlate this transfer with the localization of the probe, a model system has been investigated. It consists of peptides containing lysine and tryptophan residues bound to negatively charged phosphatidylserine vesicles. Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies were used to follow peptide binding and diphenylhexatriene incorporation. Peptide binding is accompanied by a blue shift of the tryptophan fluorescence together with an increase of the quantum yield and of the fluorescence decay time. An experimental Föster critical distance value of 4.0 nm was found for energy transfer from tryptophan residues of peptides to diphenylhexatriene which approaches the range of calculated values (3.1–3.7 nm) using a two-dimensional model. These results demonstrate that efficient energy transfer can occur from tryptophan residues of intrinsic proteins to diphenylhexatriene without any interaction between diphenylhexatriene and proteins in biological membranes.     

The functions of tryptophan residues in membrane proteins.

Membrane proteins have a significantly higher Trp content than do soluble proteins. This is especially true for the M and L subunits of the photosynthetic reaction center from purple bacteria. The Trp residues are not uniformly distributed through the membrane but are concentrated at the periplasmic side of the complex. In addition, Trp residues are not randomly aligned. Within the protein subunits, many form hydrogen bonds with carbonyl oxygens of the main chain, thereby stabilizing the protein. On the surface of the molecule, they are correctly positioned to form hydrogen bonds with the lipid head groups while their hydrophobic rings are immersed in the lipid part of the bilayer. These observations suggest that Trp residues are involved in the translocation of protein through the membrane and that following translocation, Trp residues serve as anchors on the periplasmic side of the membrane.     

Oxidative post-translational modification of tryptophan residues in cardiac mitochondrial proteins

We examined the distribution of N-formylkynurenine, a product of the dioxidation of tryptophan residues in proteins, throughout the human heart mitochondrial proteome. This oxidized amino acid is associated with a distinct subset of proteins, including an over-representation of complex I subunits as well as complex V subunits and enzymes involved in redox metabolism. No relationship was observed between the tryptophan modification and methionine oxidation, a known artifact of sample handling. As the mitochondria were isolated from normal human heart tissue and not subject to any artificially induced oxidative stress, we suggest that the susceptible tryptophan residues in this group of proteins are "hot spots" for oxidation in close proximity to a source of reactive oxygen species in respiring mitochondria.     

Detection of amino-terminal tryptophan in peptides and proteins using dansyl chloride

A sensitive method is described for the detection of amino-terminal tryptophan in peptides and proteins as the dansyl derivative. The use of the method is illustrated with a tetrapeptide and with the enzyme phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus. The method may also be applicable when internal tryptophanyl residues are encountered during dansyl-Edman manual sequencing of peptides and proteins.     

A simplified procedure to determine tryptophan residues in proteins.

A procedure is described to determine tryptophan residues in proteins using a tryptophan reagent, 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide. The method involves the treatment of the unfolded protein with the reagent in 9 m urea at acid pH; incubation of the mixture at room temperature for 2 hr and the removal of the excess reagent by centrifugation and gel filtration. The amount of tryptophan in a protein is determined from the optical density of the labeled protein at 280 and 410 nm, and from the known optical density of 1 mg/ml of the protein at 280 nm and of the reagent at 280 and 410 nm. The efficacy of the method was tested with eight proteins whose tryptophan content is known.     

Correlation between internal motion and emission kinetics of tryptophan residues in proteins

Time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements of tryptophan residues were carried out for 44 proteins. Internal rotational motion with a sub-nanosecond correlation time (0.9 +/- 0.6 ns at 10 degrees C) was seen in a large number of proteins, though its amplitude varied from protein to protein. It was found that tryptophan residues which were almost fixed within a protein had either a long (greater than 4 ns) or short (less than 2 ns) fluorescence lifetime, whereas a residue undergoing a large internal motion had an intermediate lifetime (1.5-3 ns). It is suggested that the emission kinetics of a tryptophan residue is coupled with its internal motion. In particular, an immobile tryptophan residue emitting at long wavelength was characterized by a long lifetime (greater than 4 ns). It appears that a tryptophan residue fixed in a polar region has little chance of being quenched by neighboring groups.     

The fluorescence decay of tryptophan residues in native and denatured proteins.

The fluorescence decay kinetics at different ranges of the emission spectrum is reported for 17 proteins. Out of eight proteins containing a single tryptophan residue per molecule, seven proteins display multiexponential decay kinetics, suggesting that variability in protein structure may exist for most proteins. Tryptophan residues whose fluorescence spectrum is red shifted may have lifetimes longer than 7 ns. Such long lifetimes have not been detected in any of the denatured proteins studied, indicating that in native proteins the tryptophans having a red-shifted spectrum are affected by the tertiary structure of the protein. The fluorescence decay kinetics of ten denatured proteins studied obey multiexponential decay functions. It is therefore concluded that the tryptophan residues in denatured proteins can be grouped in two classes. The first characterized by a relatively long lifetime of about 4 ns and the second has a short lifetime of about 1.5 ns. The emission spectrum of the group which is characterized by the longer lifetime is red shifted relative to the emission spectrum of the group characterized by the shorter lifetime. A comparison of the decay data with the quantum yield of the proteins raises the possibility that a subgroup of the tryptophan residues is fully quenched. It is noteworthy that despite this heterogeneity in the environment of tryptophan residues in each denatured protein, almost the same decay kinetics has been obtained for all the denatured proteins studied in spite of the vastly different primary structures. It is therefore concluded that each tryptophan residue interacts in a more-or-less random manner with other groups on the polypeptide chain, and that on the average the different tryptophan residues in denatured proteins have a similar type of environment.     

Cytoprotective antioxidant function of tyrosine and tryptophan residues in transmembrane proteins.

The transmembrane domains of integral membrane proteins show an astounding accumulation of tyrosine and tryptophan residues, especially in the region of the highest lipid density. We found that these residues perform vital antioxidant functions inside lipid bilayers and protect cells from oxidative destruction. First, tyrosine- and tryptophan-containing peptides representing stretches from the transmembrane domains of different integral membrane proteins, including presenilin and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, prevent oxidative lysis in clonal and primary cells. Second, long-chain acylated tyrosine and tryptophan, but not phenylalanine or short-chain acylated derivatives, are potent inhibitors of lipid peroxidation and oxidative cell death. The antioxidant functions of tyrosine and tryptophan may provide a specific explanation for (a) their unique transmembrane distribution pattern and (b) the high vulnerability of low-protein neuronal membranes to oxidative stress, as seen in neurodegenerative disorders.     

A new acid hydrolysis method for determining tryptophan in peptides and proteins

Three different methods for hydrolysis and determination of amino acid composition of peptides and proteins were compared. We found, that the method of Matsubara and Sasaki (using 6N HCl and thioglycolic acid) gives comparatively low recoveries for tryptophan, while Liu and Chang's method, using p-toluenesulfonic acid and tryptamine, is more suitable. To eliminate the difficulties of the latter method, we used mercaptoethane-sulfonic acid, which, in the concentration used, results in total hydrolysis of peptide bonds within 22 hr and gives very high tryptophan recoveries. Both sulfonic acid methods were used for hydrolysis of the pentapeptide “pentagastrine” as well as of the proteins lysozyme, cytochrome c, and chymotrypsine. Their amino acid composition was determined using an automatic amino acid analyzer. Similarly to the p-toluenesulfonic acid method, the results of our method are totally reliable only for pure peptides and proteins, though the results obtained with our method using samples containing carbohydrates are better than those of all earlier methods.     

Conjugation of glutathione to oxidized tyrosine residues in peptides and proteins

Tyrosine residues are sensitive to oxidation and can be converted to hydroperoxides either by superoxide reacting with the Tyr radical or by singlet oxygen. These hydroperoxides rearrange to bicyclic derivatives that are readily reduced to more stable hydroxides. The aromatic character of tyrosine is lost, but the product contains an α-β unsaturated carbonyl group and is, therefore, an electrophile. We have generated hydroxide derivatives of several Tyr-containing peptides and shown using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry that they undergo Michael addition with GSH. For Tyr-Gly, rate constants of 9.2 and 11.8 m(-1)min(-1) were measured for the two chromatographically distinct isomers. Unusual for GSH addition to an electrophile, the reaction is reversible, with a half-life of many hours for the reverse reaction. These kinetics indicate that with a typical cellular concentration of 5 mm GSH, >95% Tyr-Gly hydroxide would become conjugated with a half-life of ～15 min. Sperm whale myoglobin forms a hydroperoxide on Tyr-151 in a hydrogen peroxide/superoxide-dependent reaction. We show that its hydroxide derivative reacts with GSH to form a conjugate. Detection of the conjugate required stabilization by reduction; otherwise, the reverse reaction occurred during tryptic digestion and analysis. Our findings represent a novel mechanism for peptide or protein glutathionylation involving a carbon-sulfur cross-link between oxidized Tyr and Cys. As with other electrophiles, the oxidized Tyr should undergo a similar reaction with Cys residues in proteins to give intramolecular or intermolecular protein cross-links. This mechanism could give rise to protein cross-linking in conditions of oxidative stress.     

Relative spatial positions of tryptophan and cationic residues in helical membrane-active peptides determine their cytotoxicity

The cytotoxic activity of 10 analogs of the idealized amphipathic helical 21-mer peptide (KAAKKAA)3, where three of the Ala residues at different positions have been replaced with Trp residues, has been investigated. The peptide's cytotoxic activity was found to be markedly dependent upon the position of the Trp residues within the hydrophobic sector of an idealized α-helix. The peptides with Trp residues located opposite the cationic sector displayed no antitumor activity, whereas those peptides with two or three Trp residues located adjacent to the cationic sector exhibited high cytotoxic activity when tested against three different cancer cell lines. Dye release experiments revealed that in contrast to the peptides with Trp residues located opposite the cationic sector, the peptides with Trp residues located adjacent to the cationic sector induced a strong permeabilizing activity from liposomes composed of a mixture of zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine and negatively charged phosphatidylserine (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-l-serine (POPS)) (2:1) but not from liposomes composed of zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine, POPC. Fluorescence blue shift and quenching experiments revealed that Trp residues inserted deeper into the hydrophobic environment of POPC/POPS liposomes for peptides with high cytotoxic activity. Through circular dichroism studies, a correlation between the cytotoxic activity and the α-helical propensity was established. Structural studies of one inactive and two active peptides in the presence of micelles using NMR spectroscopy showed that only the active peptides adopted highly coiled to helical structures when bound to a membrane surface.