α-Crystallin is a major protein in the human lens that is perceived to help to maintain the transparency of the lens through its chaperone function. In this study, we demonstrate that many lens proteins including αA-crystallin are acetylated in vivo. We found that K70 and K99 in αA-crystallin and, K92 and K166 in αB-crystallin are acetylated in the human lens.To determine the effect of acetylation on the chaperone function and structural changes, αA-crystallin was acetylated using acetic anhydride. The resulting protein showed strong immunoreactivity against a Nε-acetyllysine antibody, which was directly related to the degree of acetylation. When compared to the unmodified protein, the chaperone function of the in vitro acetylated αA-crystallin was higher against three of the four different client proteins tested. Because a lysine (residue 70; K70) in αA-crystallin is acetylated in vivo, we generated a protein with an acetylation mimic, replacing Lys70 with glutamine (K70Q). The K70Q mutant protein showed increased chaperone function against three client proteins compared to the Wt protein but decreased chaperone function against γ-crystallin. The acetylated protein displayed higher surface hydrophobicity and tryptophan fluorescence, had altered secondary and tertiary structures and displayed decreased thermodynamic stability. Together, our data suggest that acetylation of αA-crystallin occurs in the human lens and that it could affect the chaperone function of αA-crystallin.
αB-Crystallin is a chaperone and an anti-apoptotic protein that is highly expressed in many tissues, including the lens, retina, heart and kidney. In the human lens, several lysine residues in αB-crystallin are acetylated. We have previously shown that such acetylation is predominant at lysine92 (K92) and K166. We have investigated the effect of lysine acetylation on the structure and functions of αB-crystallin by the specific introduction of an Nε-acetyllysine (AcK) mimic at K92. The introduction of AcK slightly altered the secondary and tertiary structures of the protein. AcK introduction also resulted in an increase in the molar mass and hydrodynamic radius of the protein, and the protein became structurally more open and more stable than the native protein. The acetyl protein acquired higher surface hydrophobicity and exhibited 25-55% higher chaperone activity than the native protein. The acetyl protein had higher client protein binding per subunit of the protein and higher binding affinity relative to the native protein. The acetyl protein was at least 20% more effective in inhibiting chemically induced apoptosis than the native protein. Molecular modeling suggests that acetylation of K92 makes the ‘α-crystallin domain’ more hydrophobic. Together, our results reveal that the acetylation of a single lysine residue in αB-crystallin makes the protein structurally more stable and improves its chaperone and anti-apoptotic activities. Our findings suggest that lysine acetylation of αB-crystallin is an important chemical modification to enhance αB-crystallin’s protective functions in the eye.
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