Nitrated and Oxidized Products of a Single Tryptophan Residue in Human Cu,Zn-Superoxide Dismutase Treated with Either Peroxynitrite-Carbon Dioxide or Myeloperoxidase-Hydrogen Peroxide-Nitrite

Abstract

We reported previously that a single tryptophan residue, Trp32, in human Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase is specifically modified by peroxynitrite-CO₂ [Yamakura et al. (2001) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1548, 38–46]. In this study, we modified Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase by using a combination of myeloperoxidase, hydrogen peroxide, and nitrite. The modified enzyme showed no loss of copper and zinc, and 15% less enzymatic activity. Trp32 was the only significant amino acid lost. After trypsin digestion of the modified SOD with peroxynitrite-CO₂ and the myeloperoxidase system, six newly appearing peptides containing tryptophan derivatives were observed on microLC-ESI-Q-TOF mass analyses and HPLC with a photodiode-array detector. The derivatives of the tryptophan residue exhibiting mass increases of 4, 16 (2 peaks), 32, 45 (major), and 45 Da (minor) were identified as kynurenine, oxindole-3-alanine and its derivatives, dihydroxytryptophan, 6-nitrotryptophan and 5-nitrotryptophan, respectively. We further identified 6-nitrotryptophan from the ¹H-NMR spectrum for the pronase-digested product and calculated the yield of 6-nitrotryptophan as being about 30% for each of the modification methods. The tryptophan residue in the modified human Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase gave the same spectra for the products including 6-nitrotryptophan as the major nitrated product with the two different modification systems.

Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase, myeloperoxidase, 6-nitrotryptophan, peroxynitrite, tryptophan residue

ESI, electrospray ionization, FALS, familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography, LC, liquid chromatography, MPO, myeloperoxidase, MS, mass spectrometry, Q-TOF, quadrupole time-of-flight, SOD, superoxide dismutase