Amino acid arginine and adducts: autoimmune activity

ABSTRACT

Arginine is derived from dietary intake, body protein breakdown, or endogenous de novo arginine production. Arginine methylation of non-histone proteins is used in transcriptional regulation. Protein-arginine methylation is used for regulation of transcriptional and various physiological pathological processes. Protein methylation may affect protein-protein, protein-DNA, or protein-RNA interaction. Arginine has an effect on the DNA-binding activity of NF-κB, a dominant transcriptional factor in inflammation. Adduct formation results in increased secretion of messenger molecules such as cytokines and chemokines that mediate communication among cells and promote inflammation. Arginine and lysine amino acid-rich histones in nucleosomes on modification by environmental agents form histone-DNA adducts, making it immunogenic. Alteration of DNA resulting from photomodification could lead to the development of antibodies or mutations to modified DNA. Lysine and arginine-rich histones in nucleosomes on modification by environmental agents form histone-DNA adducts, making it immunogenic. Alteration of DNA resulting from photomodification could lead to the development of antibodies or mutations to modified DNA. Therefore, the DNA-arginine photoadduct and modified photoadduct could have important implications in various pathophysiological conditions such as toxicology, carcinogenesis, and autoimmune phenomena.

Abbreviations: Arg: Arginine; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; UV: ultraviolet; Tm: thermal melting temperature; NO: nitric oxide; O₂.⁻: superoxide anion.

KEYWORDS:

• Arginine
• DNA-arginine adducts
• polynucleotide-arginine adducts
• photoadducts
• autoantibodies

Acknowledgments

This review article is dedicated to my late beloved father on his first death anniversary. HA would also like acknowledge those authors, from whose work the various figures and tables have been adapted and reproduced in this review article, including authors of the Nucleic Acid Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh.