Functional Transformation of C-reactive Protein by Hydrogen Peroxide

C-reactive protein (CRP) is present at sites of inflammation including amyloid plaques, atherosclerotic lesions, and arthritic joints. CRP, in its native pentameric structural conformation, binds to cells and molecules that have exposed phosphocholine (PCh) groups. CRP, in its non-native pentameric structural conformation, binds to a variety of deposited, denatured, and aggregated proteins, in addition to binding to PCh-containing substances. In this study, we investigated the effects of H₂O₂, a prototypical reactive oxygen species that is also present at sites of inflammation, on the ligand recognition function of CRP. Controlled H₂O₂ treatment of native CRP did not monomerize CRP and did not affect the PCh binding activity of CRP. In solid phase ELISA-based ligand binding assays, purified pentameric H₂O₂-treated CRP bound to a number of immobilized proteins including oxidized LDL, IgG, amyloid β peptide 1-42, C4b-binding protein, and factor H, in a CRP concentration- and ligand concentration-dependent manner. Using oxidized LDL as a representative protein ligand for H₂O₂-treated CRP, we found that the binding occurred in a Ca²⁺-independent manner and did not involve the PCh-binding site of CRP. We conclude that H₂O₂ is a biological modifier of the structure and ligand recognition function of CRP. Overall, the data suggest that the ligand recognition function of CRP is dependent on the presence of an inflammatory microenvironment. We hypothesize that one of the functions of CRP at sites of inflammation is to sense the inflammatory microenvironment, change its own structure in response but remain pentameric, and then bind to pathogenic proteins deposited at those sites.