Changes in tertiary structure of calf-lens α-crystallin by near-UV irradiation: role of hydrogen peroxide

The effect of 300 nm irradiation on the three lens crystallins, α-, β-, and γ-, was studied by using fluorescence and circular dichroism techniques. α-Crystallin showed a pronounced change in tertiary structure as manifested in fluorescence and circular dichroism measurements. This finding is in agreement with our earlier findings that the tryptophan residues of α-crystallin are more exposed than those of the other two crystallins. The results of studies using inhibitors specific for the different active species of oxygen suggest that H2O2-mediated damage is involved in the change of tertiary structure of the proteins. Analyses of circular dichroism spectra indicate that, upon irradiation, the secondary structure of α-crystallin remains virtually unaltered, and that the change in tertiary structure results primarily from photoinduced damage to the tryptophan residues.