Trioxidized cysteine and aging: Beyond proteinopathic paradigms

A new research perspective was published in Aging, titled "Trioxidized cysteine and aging: a molecular binomial that extends far beyond classical proteinopathic paradigms."

Oxidative stress (OS)—characterized by an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants—leads to the formation of oxidative posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including those involving cysteine (Cys) residues in aging proteomes. Specifically, the formation of trioxidized Cys (t-Cys) results in permanent protein damage. Recent findings in rodents have revealed that irregular regulation of t-Cys residues in the aging proteome disrupts homeostatic phosphorylation signaling, leading to alterations in proteins similar to those caused by phosphorylated serine (p-Ser) residues.

In this perspective, researchers José Antonio Sánchez Milán, María Mulet, Aida Serra and Xavier Gallart-Palau from University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova (HUAV) and University of Lleida (UdL), present novel data, validating the increase of specific t-Cys sites associated with aging in a blood-related circulating human proteome.

"The scope and findings included here support the hypothesis that t-Cys residues may serve as important mechanistic and biological markers, warranting further exploration in the context of unhealthy aging and age-related major diseases," the researchers said.