Mechanistic studies on the oxidation of amino acids, peptides and proteins and its biological consequences

氨基酸和蛋白质暴露在自由基、氧化剂、紫外光和金属离子下会导致氧化，从而改变蛋白质的结构和功能。已经证明，这些反应发生在食物变质、植物暴露在过量紫外线下以及一些人类疾病(例如心脏病和癌症)中。尽管有证据表明蛋白质氧化在这些事件中起着关键作用，但蛋白质氧化的基本化学和生物化学尚不完全清楚。这个问题在这个项目中得到了解决。了解这些反应的机制是合理设计预防策略的重要先决条件，这些策略可能会提高食品质量，将紫外线损害降至最低，并增进人类健康。

Exposure of amino acids and proteins to radicals, oxidants, UV light, and metal ions results in oxidation, with consequent alteration to protein structure and function. It has been shown that these reactions occur during food spoilage, exposure of plants to excess UV light, and in a number of human diseases (e.g. heart disease and cancer). Despite evidence for a key role for protein oxidation in these events, the fundamental chemistry and biochemistry of protein oxidation is incompletely understood. This is addressed in this project. Knowledge of the mechanisms of these reactions is a vital pre-requisite to the rational design of preventative strategies that might enhance food quality, minimise UV damage and enhance human health.