Glycation of Ribonuclease A affects its enzymatic activity and DNA binding ability

Prolonged non-enzymatic glycation of proteins results in the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that cause several diseases. The glycation of Ribonuclease A (RNase A) at pH 7.4 and 37 °C with ribose, glucose and fructose has been monitored by UV–vis, fluorescence, sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization spectroscopy-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) methods. The enzymatic activity and DNA binding ability of glycated RNase A was also investigated by an agarose gel-based assay. A precipitation assay examined the ribonucleolytic activity of the glycated enzyme. An increase in incubation time resulted in the formation of high molecular weight AGEs with a decrease in ribonucleolytic activity. Ribose exhibits the highest potency as a glycating agent and showed the greatest reduction in the ribonucleolytic activity of the enzyme. Interestingly, glycated RNase A was unable to bind with the ribonuclease inhibitor (RI) and DNA. The glycated form of the protein was also found to be ineffective in DNA melting unlike native RNase A.