The presentation is entitled "Discovery of Covalent Modifications that Give Proteins SImilar Chemical Properties to DSDNA."

Abstract: Endogenous reactive species, such as oxidized fatty acids and intermediates of glycolysis, mediate covalent modification of proteins under physiological conditions. The alpha-amino group of lysine represents one of the targets of modification, which has a great impact on the chemical properties of proteins and has important functional and regulatory consequences. Lysine N-pyrrolation, converting lysine residues to Ne-pyrrole-L-lysine (pyrK), is a recently discovered posttranslational modification. This naturally occurring reaction confers electrochemical properties onto proteins that potentially produce an electrical mimic to DNA and result in specificity toward DNA-binding molecules such as anti-DNA autoantibodies. The discovery of this unique covalent protein modification provides a rationale for establishing the molecular mechanism and broad functional significance of the formation and regulation of pyrK-containing proteins. This presentation summarizes the state of knowledge about the chemistry of this unique conversion reaction of proteins into DNA mimetics by reactive species.

Bio: Koji Uchida is a Professor of the Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo. His intersets are interdisciplinary and spn food sciences, lipid peroxidation, natural antibodies, and innate immunity. Inthe pst years, his team has made important discoveries in the field of covalent protein modification with endogenous eletrophiles. His work has focused on the identification and characterization of oxidation-specific epitopes s well as of soluble pattern recognition proteins, such as antibodies, that specifically recognized the epitopes. He has also been interested in the immune recognition of the modified proteins, and particularly how these responses can be associated with human pathogensis, asuch as atherosclerosis and autoimmune diseases. His alboratory in Tokyo is currently defining the functional role of immune cells and pattern recognition proteins, including multi-specific natural antibodies s well as complement factors and apolipoproteins as a sensor of oxidation-derived epitopes bearing electonegative potentials. Another important focus of Dr. Uchida's research interests is on the inflammatory response of macrophages to defined oxidation-specific adducts nd the role of circulating serum proteins, such as albumin, as carriers of biologically active oxidized lipids.

The seminar series is sponsreod by Purdue's Center for Paralysis Research and Plexon.

Zoom link:  https://bit.ly/441Dllq  (Meeting ID: 998 3163 3744, Passcode: CPR)