by Impact Journals LLC

Analysis of the levels of t-Cys residues in the circulating blood plasma platelet proteome of young and old subjects. (A) Average level of t-Cys residues in proteins, categorized by age group. (B) Functional enrichment of differentially expressed peptides featuring t-Cys modification grouped by protein and age. Proteins exhibiting notably greater levels in older individuals as compared to their younger counterparts are depicted as blue dots. The size of the biological process dots corresponds to the differential number of t-Cys proteins incorporated. Significance was established at p<0.05, and the error bars in the graphs represent the SEM. Credit: Sánchez Milán et al.

A new research perspective was published in Aging, titled "Trioxidized cysteine and aging: a molecular binomial that extends far beyond classical proteinopathic paradigms."

Oxidative stress (OS)—characterized by an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants—leads to the formation of oxidative posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including those involving cysteine (Cys) residues in aging proteomes. Specifically, the formation of trioxidized Cys (t-Cys) results in permanent protein damage. Recent findings in rodents have revealed that irregular regulation of t-Cys residues in the aging proteome disrupts homeostatic phosphorylation signaling, leading to alterations in proteins similar to those caused by phosphorylated serine (p-Ser) residues.

In this perspective, researchers José Antonio Sánchez Milán, María Mulet, Aida Serra and Xavier Gallart-Palau from University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova (HUAV) and University of Lleida (UdL), present novel data, validating the increase of specific t-Cys sites associated with aging in a blood-related circulating human proteome.

"The scope and findings included here support the hypothesis that t-Cys residues may serve as important mechanistic and biological markers, warranting further exploration in the context of unhealthy aging and age-related major diseases," the researchers said.

More information: José Antonio Sánchez Milán et al, Trioxidized cysteine and aging: a molecular binomial that extends far beyond classical proteinopathic paradigms, Aging (2024). DOI: 10.18632/aging.206036

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