Molecular Probe Identifies Proteins Related to Aging Conditions

The probe works like a molecular navigation system for finding the proteins in cells. It could lead to new insights into disease processes and identify new targets for disease treatments.

The technology developed by the scientists has applications in both diagnostics (protein biomarkers), and in clinical medicine where it has a role in inhibition of enzymes implicated in diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

A new molecule called DAz-2 was developed that quickly finds specific proteins affected by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The molecules do this by chemically "tagging” sulfenic acid. Formed in cells, sulfenic acid indicates that a protein has undergone an oxidation reaction caused by the ROS. In laboratory studies using cultured cells, the scientists identified more than 190 proteins that had undergone this reaction.

Kate Carroll and colleagues from the chemistry department, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) noted that scientists have known for years that the excess build-up of highly-reactive oxygen-containing molecules in cells contribute to aging disorders, possibly even cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Many believe that a diet rich in antioxidants, which are abundant in fruits and vegetables, help deter this cell-damaging process by blocking the accumulation of these ROS molecules. But scientists have lacked the proper tools to study the effects of these molecules in detail.

The study is scheduled for publication in the September 18, 2009, issue of the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal Chemical Biology.

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Chemistry department, University of Michigan