Oxidative proteome modifications target specific cellular pathways during oxidative stress, cellular senescence and aging.

Oxidatively modified proteins build-up with age results, at least in part, from the increase of reactive oxygen species and other toxic compounds originating from both cellular metabolism and external factors. Experimental evidence has also indicated that failure of protein maintenance is a major contributor to the age-associated accumulation of damaged proteins. We have previously shown that oxidized proteins as well as proteins modified by lipid peroxidation and glycoxidation adducts are accumulating in senescent human WI-38 fibroblasts and reported that proteins targeted by these modifications are mainly involved in protein maintenance, energy metabolism and cytoskeleton. Alterations in the proteome of human muscle adult stem cells upon oxidative stress have also been recently analyzed. The carbonylated proteins identified were also found to be involved in key cellular functions, such as carbohydrate metabolism, protein maintenance, cellular motility and protein homeostasis. More recently, we have built a database of proteins modified by carbonylation, glycation and lipid peroxidation products during aging and age-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases. Common pathways evidenced by enzymes involved in intermediate metabolism were found targeted by these modifications, although different tissues have been examined. These results underscore the implication of potential deleterious effects of protein irreversible oxidative modifications in key cellular pathways during aging and in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases.