A Convenient Assay to Detect Protein Oxidation Caused by Redox-Active Quinones

Redox-active quinones generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) through their redox cycling with electron donors. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) causes S-oxidation of proteins and is associated with activation of the redox signaling pathway and/or toxicity (Chem. Res. Toxicol, 30, 2017, Kumagai et aL). In the present study, we developed a convenient assay based on a combination of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a biotin-PEAC(5)-maleimide assay and used it to determine protein S-oxidation by ROS during redox cycling of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (9,10-PQ) and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). S-Oxidation of proteins in a mouse liver supernatant was detected during reaction of 9,10-PQ or PQQ with electron donors such as dithiothreitol or reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), whereas cellular protein oxidation was not observed in the absence of electron donors. These results suggest that the developed assay is useful for the detection of S-oxidation of proteins.