Authors: K Kuge N Fujii Y Miura S Tajima T Saito
Publish Date: 2004/08/11
Volume: 27, Issue: 2, Pages: 193-197
Abstract
We previously reported that biologically uncommon Daspartyl residues are present in sundamaged skin from elderly people possibly in elastin Here we report the kinetics of Asp racemization in model peptides corresponding to elastin sequences from exons 6 and 26 We estimated the activation energy E of racemization of Asp residues the racemization rates RR at 37°C and the time t required for the D/L ratio of Asp to approximate to 10 D/L ratio of Asp=099 at 37°C For an exon 6 peptide E=290 kcal/mol RR=259×10−2/yr and t=1010 yr For an exon 26A peptide E=262 kcal/mol RR=427×10−2/yr and t=613 yr and for a second exon 26A peptide E=257 kcal/mol RR=555×10−2/yr and t=470 yr These results suggest that racemization of Asp residues in elastin could occur within a human life span We propose that DAsp could be a useful molecular indicators of aging
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