Exposure to chrysotile asbestos causes carbonylation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase through a reaction with lipid peroxidation products in human lung epithelial cells

Exposure to asbestos is known to lead to a reduction in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity and to cause oxidative damage to cells. In the present study, we exposed the human lung carcinoma cell line A549 to chrysotile. We observed an increase in the production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS, the breakdown products of lipid peroxide) along with a significant decrease in G6PDH activity. Alternatively, when chrysotile was added directly to the cell extract obtained by removing the cell membrane, no loss of G6PDH activity was observed. To elucidate the mechanism of G6PDH inactivation due to exposure to chrysotile, we focused on the TBARS responsible for protein modification via carbonylation. When malondialdehyde or 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal was added to a membrane-free A549 cell extract, G6PDH activity was reduced markedly. However, when t-butylhydroperoxide was added to the extract, there was no significant decrease in G6PDH activity. Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation of the carbonylated proteins in the A549 cell lysate that was prepared after exposure to chrysotile demonstrated that G6PDH had been carbonylated. Our findings indicate that the decrease in G6PDH activity that occurs after exposure of the cultured cells to chrysotile results from the carbonylation of G6PDH by TBARS.