Elucidating the impact of glucosylation on human serum albumin: A multi-technique approach

Proteins in human body fluids contain in vivo antigen analog of the melibiose-derived glycation product: MAGE

Melibiose-derived AGE (MAGE) is an advanced glycation end-product formed in vitro in anhydrous conditions on proteins and protein-free amino acids during glycation with melibiose. Our previous studies revealed the presence of MAGE antigen in the human body and tissues of several other species, including muscles, fat, extracellular matrix, and blood. MAGE is also antigenic and induces generation of anti-MAGE antibody. The aim of this paper was to identify the proteins modified by MAGE present in human body fluids, such as serum, plasma, and peritoneal fluids. The protein-bound MAGE formed in vivo has been isolated from human blood using affinity chromatography on the resin with an immobilized anti-MAGE monoclonal antibody. Using mass spectrometry and immunochemistry it has been established that MAGE epitope is present on several human blood proteins including serum albumin, IgG, and IgA. In serum of diabetic patients, mainly the albumin and IgG were modified by MAGE, while in healthy subjects IgG and IgA carried this modification, suggesting the novel AGE can impact protein structure, contribute to auto-immunogenicity, and affect function of immunoglobulins. Some proteins in peritoneal fluid from cancer patients modified with MAGE were also observed and it indicates a potential role of MAGE in cancer.

Oxidized Albumin as a Mediator of Kidney Disease

Renal diseases are a global health concern, and nearly 24% of kidney disease patients are overweight or obese. Particularly, increased body mass index has been correlated with oxidative stress and urinary albumin excretion in kidney disease patients, also contributing to increased cardiovascular risk. Albumin is the main plasma protein and is able to partially cross the glomerular filtration barrier, being reabsorbed mainly by the proximal tubule through different mechanisms. However, it has been demonstrated that albumin suffers different posttranslational modifications, including oxidation, which appears to be tightly linked to kidney damage progression and is increased in obese patients. Plasma-oxidized albumin levels correlate with a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate and an increase in blood urea nitrogen in patients with chronic kidney disease. Moreover, oxidized albumin in kidney disease patients is independently correlated with higher plasma levels of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6. In addition, oxidized albumin exerts a direct effect on neutrophils by augmenting the levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, a well-accepted biomarker for renal damage in patients and in different experimental settings. Moreover, it has been suggested that albumin oxidation occurs at early stages of chronic kidney disease, accelerating the patient requirements for dialytic treatment during disease progression. In this review, we summarize the evidence supporting the role of overweight- and obesity-induced oxidative stress as a critical factor for the progression of renal disease and cardiovascular morbimortality through albumin oxidation.

Differentiation of glycated residue numbers on heat-induced structural changes of bovine serum albumin

BACKGROUND

Glycation is an approach in dealing with heat-induced protein aggregation. The relationship between degree of glycation and heat-induced structural changes is still unclear. The present work investigates the effect of different numbers and sites of glycated residues on heat-induced structural changes of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Glycation of BSA was carried out with xylose (Xyl) and galactose (Gal) by Maillard reaction. Glycated residues in BSA were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and heat-induced protein structural changes were characterized by fluorescence emission and synchronous fluorescence spectra, 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectra.

RESULTS

The numbers of glycated residues were 2 and 13 when BSA was glycated by Gal (BSA - Gal) and Xyl (BSA - Xyl), respectively. There were shifts of maximum wavelengths and decreases in fluorescence intensities for both intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescences; shifts of FTIR amide I, III, and A bands; and decrease or increase of CD band intensities, α-helix and β-sheet percentages when BSA was heated. Glycation with Gal or Xyl restrained in similar degrees those changes, including fluorescence wavelengths, amide I band, CD band intensities, and α-helix and β-sheet percentages.

CONCLUSION

Xyl glycated more residues than Gal, while their effects were similar in restraining heat-induced BSA structural changes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Alteration of human serum albumin binding properties induced by modifications: A review

Albumin, a major transporting protein in the blood, is the main target of modification that affects the binding of drugs to Sudlow's site I and II. These modification of serum protein moderates its physiological function, and works as a biomarker of some diseases. The main goal of the paper was to explain the possible alteration of human serum albumin binding properties induced by modifications such as glycation, oxidation and ageing, their origin, methods of evaluation and positive and negative meaning described by significant researchers.

An overview of in vitro and in vivo glycation of albumin: a potential disease marker in diabetes mellitus

Non-enzymatic glycation of macromolecules, especially proteins leading to their oxidation is increased in diabetes mellitus due to hyperglycaemia and play an important role in associated complications of the disease. Protein glycation mostly occurs in intra chain lysine residues resulting in the formation of early stage Amadori products which are finally converted to advance glycation end products (AGEs). This review deals with the structural studies of in vitro and in vivo glycated human serum albumin (HSA). The aim of this review is to explain the disturbance in secondary and tertiary structure of albumin upon glucosylation and the immunogenic potential of modified albumin. Amadori-albumin may have enough potential to provoke the immunoregulatry cells and generate autoantibodies in diabetic patients. Role of Amadori-albumin in the induction of autoantibodies in type2 diabetes especially in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients has been discussed. This review also considers various studies that investigate the effects of glycation on the structural and immunological properties of HSA. The use of glycated albumin (GA) as a short to intermediate term marker for glycaemic control in diabetes is also focused.