High oxidative damage levels in the longest-living rodent, the naked mole-rat.

Oxidative stress is reputed to be a significant contributor to the aging process and a key factor affecting species longevity. The tremendous natural variation in maximum species lifespan may be due to interspecific differences in reactive oxygen species generation, antioxidant defenses and/or levels of accrued oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules (such as DNA, lipids and proteins). The present study tests if the exceptional longevity of the longest living (> 28.

A novel approach for screening the proteome for changes in protein conformation.

Changes in surface hydrophobicity are generally considered as a sensitive indicator for monitoring the structural alterations of proteins that are often associated with changes in function. Currently, no technique has been developed to screen a complex mixture of proteins for changes in the conformation of specific proteins. In this study, we adapted a UV photolabeling approach, using an apolar fluorescent probe, 4,4'-dianilino-1,1'-binaphthyl-5,5'-disulfonic acid (BisANS), to monitor changes in surface hydrophobic domains in either purified rhodanese or skeletal muscle cytosolic proteins by urea-induced unfolding or in response to in vitro metal-catalyzed oxidation.