Photosensitized Oxidative Dimerization at Tyrosine by a Water-Soluble 4-Amino-1,8-naphthalimide

The oxidation of proteins generates reactive amino acid (AA) residue intermediates, leading to protein modification and cross-linking. Aerobic studies with peptides and photosensitizers allow for the controlled generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive AA residue intermediates, providing mechanistic insights as to how natural protein modifications form. Such studies have inspired the development of abiotic methods for protein modification and crosslinking, including applications of biomedical importance. Dityrosine linkages derived from oxidation at tyrosine (Tyr) residues represent one of the more well-understood oxidation-induced modifications. Here we demonstrate an aerobic, visible light-dependent oxidation reaction of Tyr-containing substrates promoted by a water-soluble 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide-based photosensitizer. The developed procedure converts Tyr-containing substrates into o,o'-Tyr-Tyr linked dimers. The regioselectively formed o,o'-Tyr-Tyr linkage is consistent with dimeric standards prepared using a known enzymatic method. A crossover study with two peptides provides a statistical mixture of three distinct o,o'-Tyr-Tyr linked dimers, supporting a mechanism that involves Tyr residue oxidation followed by intermolecular combination.