Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Laser-free Hydroxyl Radical Protein Footprinting to Perform Higher Order Structural Analysis of Proteins
Published on: June 4, 2021
Quantification of hydroxyl radical-derived oxidation products in peptides containing glycine, alanine, valine, and
Philip E Morgan1, David I Pattison, Michael J Davies
1Free Radical Group, The Heart Research Institute, 7 Eliza Street, Newtown, Sydney, NSW 2042, Australia. Philip.Morgan@hri.org.au
Abstract:
Proteins are a major target for oxidation due to their abundance and high reactivity. Despite extensive investigation over many years, only limited quantitative data exist on the contributions of different pathways to the oxidation of peptides and proteins. This study was designed to obtain quantitative data on the nature and yields of oxidation products (alcohols, carbonyls, hydroperoxides, fragment species) formed by a prototypic oxidant system (HO(•)/O(2)) on small peptides of limited, but known, amino acid composition. Peptides composed of Gly, Ala, Val, and Pro were examined with particular emphasis on the peptide Val-Gly-Val-Ala-Pro-Gly, a repeat motif in elastin with chemotactic activity and metalloproteinase regulation properties. The data obtained indicate that hydroperoxide formation occurs nonrandomly (Pro > Val > Ala > Gly) with this inversely related to carbonyl yields (both peptide-bound and released). Multiple alcohols are generated at both side-chain and backbone sites. Backbone fragmentation has been characterized at multiple positions, with sites adjacent to Pro residues being of major importance. Summation of the product concentrations provides clear evidence for the occurrence of chain reactions in peptides exposed to HO(•)/O(2), with the overall product yields exceeding that of the initial HO(•) generated.
More Related Videos
07:38Enabling Real-Time Compensation in Fast Photochemical Oxidations of Proteins for the Determination of Protein Topography Changes
Published on: September 1, 2020
08:00In Vivo Hydroxyl Radical Protein Footprinting for the Study of Protein Interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: April 1, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Amino acids
Oxidations of Aldehydes and Ketones to Carboxylic Acids
Aldehydes readily undergo oxidation in strong oxidizing agents such as potassium permanganate and chromic acid. The oxidation can also be carried out using mild oxidizing agents such as silver oxide. In fact, aldehydes can be easily oxidized...
Radical Autoxidation
Alkynes to Carboxylic Acids: Oxidative Cleavage
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox property is crucial in...