Thiyl radicals and induction of protein degradation

Abstract

Thiyl radicals are important intermediates in the redox biology and chemistry of thiols. These radicals can react via hydrogen transfer with various C-H bonds in peptides and proteins, leading to the generation of carbon-centered radicals, and, potentially, to irreversible protein damage. This review summarizes quantitative information on reaction kinetics and product formation, and discusses the significance of these reactions for protein degradation induced by thiyl radical formation.

Keywords::

• Thiyl radicals
• hydrogen atom transfer
• carbon-centered radicals
• D-amino acids
• glutathione

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge the contributions of various co-workers and collaborators to our research on thiyl radicals, including Drs. D. Pogocki, V. Sharov, O. Mozziconacci, S. Zhou, B.A. Kerwin, Y. J. Wang, T. Nauser, and W.H. Koppenol. Financial support by the NIH (P01AG12993), Amgen, and Genentech is gratefully acknowledged.

Declaration of interest

The author reports no declarations of interest. The author is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.