Lysine Residues Direct the Chlorination of Tyrosines in YXXK Motifs of Apolipoprotein A-I When Hypochlorous Acid Oxidizes High Density Lipoprotein

Localization of Nitration and Chlorination Sites on Apolipoprotein A-I Catalyzed by Myeloperoxidase in Human Atheroma and Associated Oxidative Impairment in ABCA1-dependent Cholesterol Efflux from Macrophages

We recently reported that apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major protein component of high density lipoprotein, is a selective target for myeloperoxidase (MPO)-catalyzed nitration and chlorination in both and serum of subjects with cardiovascular disease. We further showed that the extent of both apoA-I nitration and chlorination correlated with functional impairment in reverse cholesterol transport activity of the isolated lipoprotein. Herein we used tandem mass spectrometry to map the sites of MPO-mediated apoA-I nitration and chlorination in vitro and in vivo and to relate the degree of site-specific modifications to loss of apoA-I lipid binding and cholesterol efflux functions. Of the seven tyrosine residues in apoA-I, Tyr-192, Tyr-166, Tyr-236, and Tyr-29 were nitrated and chlorinated in MPO-mediated reactions. Site-specific liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry quantitative analyses demonstrated that the favored modification site following exposure to MPO-generated oxidants is Tyr-192. MPO-dependent nitration and chlorination both proceed with Tyr-166 as a secondary site and with Tyr-236 and Tyr-29 modified only minimally. Parallel functional studies demonstrated dose-dependent losses of ABCA1-dependent cholesterol acceptor and lipid binding activities with apoA-I modification by MPO. Finally tandem mass spectrometry analyses showed that apoA-I in human atherosclerotic tissue is nitrated at the MPO-preferred sites, Tyr-192 and Tyr-166. The present studies suggest that site-specific modifications of apoA-I by MPO are associated with impaired lipid binding and ABCA1-dependent cholesterol acceptor functions, providing a molecular mechanism that likely contributes to the clinical link between MPO levels and cardiovascular disease risk.

The myeloperoxidase product hypochlorous acid oxidizes HDL in the human artery wall and impairs ABCA1-dependent cholesterol transport

Although oxidatively damaged lipoproteins are implicated in vascular injury, there is little information regarding the role of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) oxidation in atherogenesis. One potential pathway involves hypochlorous acid (HOCl) produced by myeloperoxidase (MPO), a heme protein secreted by phagocytes. We previously showed that 3-chlorotyrosine is a specific product of HOCl. Therefore, to explore the role of oxidized HDL in the pathogenesis of vascular disease, we used MS to quantify 3-chlorotyrosine in HDL isolated from plasma and atherosclerotic tissue. HDL from human aortic atherosclerotic intima had an 8-fold higher level of 3-chlorotyrosine than plasma HDL. Tandem MS analysis identified MPO as a component of lesion HDL, suggesting that the two interact in the artery wall. Moreover, immunohistochemical studies found that specific epitopes derived from HOCl colocalized with apolipoprotein A-I, the major protein of HDL. These observations strongly support the hypothesis that MPO promotes HDL oxidation in the human artery wall. Levels of 3-chlorotyrosine were elevated in HDL isolated from the blood of humans with established coronary artery disease, suggesting that circulating levels of oxidized HDL represent a unique marker for clinically significant atherosclerosis. HDL or lipid-free apolipoprotein A-I exposed to HOCl was less able to remove cholesterol from cultured cells by a pathway requiring the cell membrane transporter ATP-binding cassette transporter A1. The detection of 3-chlorotyrosine in HDL isolated from vascular lesions raises the possibility that MPO, by virtue of its ability to form HOCl, may promote atherogenesis by counteracting the established antiatherogenic effects of HDL and the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 pathway.

Potential Role of Methionine Sulfoxide in the Inactivation of the Chaperone GroEL by Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) and Peroxynitrite (ONOO–)

GroEL is an Escherichia coli molecular chaperone that functions in vivo to fold newly synthesized polypeptides as well as to bind and refold denatured proteins during stress. This protein is a suitable model for its eukaryotic homolog, heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60), due to the high number of conserved amino acid sequences and similar function. Here, we will provide evidence that GroEL is rather insensitive to oxidants produced endogenously during metabolism, such as nitric oxide (.NO) or hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), but is modified and inactivated by efficiently reactive species generated by phagocytes, such as peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl). For the exposure of 17.5 microm GroEL to 100-250 microm HOCl, the major pathway of inactivation was through the oxidation of methionine to methionine sulfoxide, established through mass spectrometric detection of methionine sulfoxide and the reactivation of a significant fraction of inactivated GroEL by the enzyme methionine sulfoxide reductase B/A (MsrB/A). In addition to the oxidation of methionine, HOCl caused the conversion of cysteine to cysteic acid and this product may account for the remainder of inactivated GroEL not recoverable through MsrB/A. In contrast, HOCl produced only negligible yields of 3-chlorotyrosine. A remarkable finding was the conversion of Met(111) and Met(114) to Met sulfone, which suggests a rather low reduction potential of these 2 residues in GroEL. The high sensitivity of GroEL toward HOCl and ONOO(-) suggests that this protein may be a target for bacterial killing by phagocytes.