Polypeptide modification: an improved proglycinin design to stabilise oil-in-water emulsions.

ß-Conglycinin and glycinin are soybean major seed storage proteins. Previous studies have shown that adding the extension region of ß-conglycinin α subunit improves the emulsifying properties of proglycinin and confers more favourable characteristics than fusing the extension region of ß-conglycinin α' subunit or the hypervariable regions (A4IV) of glycinin A1aB1b subunit. To evaluate the polypeptide properties, we designed mutants of A1aB1b subunits fused with truncated versions of A4IV (A4IVcut), α (αcut) or α' (α'cut) extension regions lacking the C-terminus 25 or 31 residues (A4IVC25, αC25 or α'C31), and also A4IVcut and α'cut with αC25 residues added (A4IVcut-αC25 and α'cut-αC25). All the modified proteins displayed conformations similar to the wild type. With good solubilities, the emulsion properties of the modified proteins were much better at ionic strength µ = 0.08 than at µ = 0.5. The modified A1aB1bαcut and A1aB1bα'cut showed poorer emulsion properties than those of A1aB1bα and A1aB1bα'. Replacing the hydrophobic A4IVC25 region of A1aB1bA4IV with hydrophilic αC25 created A1aB1bA4IVcut-αC25, which had the best emulsion stability among these proglycinin mutants. We found that addition of αC25 improves the emulsifying properties of two C-terminally truncated proglycinin variants, thereby illustrating its potential general utility. Our investigation showed that in order to improve the emulsifying ability and emulsion stability of a globular protein, the introduced polypeptide should (i) be highly hydrophilic, (ii) consist of multiple hydrophobic-strong hydrophilic regions comprising at least two alpha helixes, (iii) harbour a terminal α-helix at the end of the C-terminus and (iv) have properties similar to those of αC25.

Crystal structure of a major seed storage protein, 11S proglobulin, from Amaranthus hypochondriacus: insight into its physico-chemical properties.

Amaranth is a crop known for its high quality proteins. 11S Globulin is one of the most abundant and important storage proteins of the amaranth grain. Here, we report the crystal structure of amaranth 11S proglobulin at a final resolution of 2.28 Å. It belonged to the space group P6(3) with cell dimensions a=b=96.6, c=75.0 Å. It contains one asymmetric unit consisting of 372 residues and 100 water molecules. Disordered regions in the model approximately correspond to the variable regions of the 11S globulins. The structure has an extended α-helix and ß-barrel domains at both N-terminal and C-terminal regions, which are characteristic of the 11S and 7S globulins. The three dimensional structure suggests that its high thermal stability is due to the cumulative effects of many factors and its good emulsifying property depended on the balance between its surface hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity.

Molecular design of seed storage proteins for enhanced food physicochemical properties.

Seed storage proteins such as soybean globulins have been nutritionally and functionally valuable in the food industry. Protein structure-function studies are valuable in modifying proteins for enhanced functionality. Recombinant technology and protein engineering are two of the tools in biotechnology that have been used in producing soybean proteins with better gelling property, solubility, and emulsifying ability. This article reviews the molecular basis for the logical and precise protein designs that are important in obtaining the desired improved physicochemical properties.

Crystal structure of the major peanut allergen Ara h 1.

Ara h 1, a 7S globulin, is one of the three major peanut allergens. We previously reported the crystallization of the core region of recombinant Ara h 1. Here, we present the crystal structure of the Ara h 1 core at a resolution of 2.43 Å. We also assayed the Ara h 1 core thermal stability and compared its final structure against other 7S globulins. The Ara h 1 core has a thermal denaturation temperature of 88.3°C and a structure that is very similar to other 7S globulins. Previously identified linear IgE epitopes were also mapped on the three-dimensional structure. Most linear epitopes were found in the extended loop domains and the coils between the N- and C-terminal modules, while others were found in the less accessible ß-sheets of the C-terminal core ß-barrel domain of each monomer. Most of these epitopes become either slightly or significantly buried upon trimer formation, implying that allergen digestion in the gut is required for these epitopes to be accessible to immunoglobulins. Our findings also suggest that both intact and partially degraded allergens should be employed in future diagnostic and immunotherapeutic strategies.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the major peanut allergen Ara h 1 core region.

Peanuts contain some of the most potent food allergens known to date. Ara h 1 is one of the three major peanut allergens. As a first step towards three-dimensional structure elucidation, recombinant Ara h 1 core region was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Crystals were obtained using 0.1 M sodium citrate pH 5.6, 0.1 M NaCl, 15% PEG 400 as precipitant. The crystals diffracted to 2.25 A resolution using synchrotron radiation and belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a=156.521, b=88.991, c=158.971 A, beta=107.144 degrees. Data were collected at the BL-38B1 station of SPring-8 (Hyogo, Japan).

Expression, purification and preliminary crystallization of amaranth 11S proglobulin seed storage protein from Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.

11S globulin is one of the major seed storage proteins in amaranth. Recombinant protein was produced as up to approximately 80% of the total bacterial protein using Escherichia coli Rosetta-gami (DE3) containing pET21d with amaranth 11S globulin cDNA. The best expression condition was at 302 K for 20 h using LB medium containing 0.5 M NaCl. The recombinant protein was easily separated from most of the Escherichia coli proteins by precipitation with 0-40% ammonium sulfate solution. It formed aggregates at low temperature and at low salt concentrations. This behaviour may imply that it has a more hydrophobic nature than other 11S seed globulins. The crystals diffracted to 6 A resolution and belonged to space group P6(3), with unit-cell parameters a=b=97.6, c=74.8 A, gamma=120.0 degrees. One subunit of a trimer was estimated to be present in the asymmetric unit, assuming a Vsol of 41%. To obtain the complete structure solution, experiments to improve crystallization and flash-cooling conditions are in progress.

Soybean basic 7S globulin: subunit heterogeneity and molecular evolution.

Basic 7S globulin, a cysteine-rich protein from soybean seeds, consists of subunits containing 27 kD and 16 kD chains linked by disulfide bonding. Three differently sized subunits of the basic 7S globulin were detected and partially separated by SP Sepharose chromatography. The basic 7S globulin was characterized as a member of a superfamily of structurally related but functionally distinct proteins descended from a specific group of plant aspartic proteinases.

Development of transgenic rice containing a mutated beta subunit of soybean beta-conglycinin for enhanced phagocytosis-stimulating activity.

Improving the nutraceutical value of rice would positively impact the health and well-being of rice consumers worldwide. Based on the three-dimensional structure of soybean beta-conglycinin, we designed a beta subunit with a strong phagocytosis-stimulating activity (mbeta subunit). Here, we describe the genetic modification and production of rice seeds containing the mbeta subunit as part of our aim to develop a food material that promotes human health. The mbeta subunit folded correctly and was accumulated in the protein body II of rice seeds at a level similar to wild-type beta subunit. Mutant beta subunit purified from transgenic rice seeds exhibited high phagocytosis-stimulating activity, demonstrating its potential value in enhancing the nutritional value of rice.

Expression, purification, cross-reactivity and homology modeling of peanut profilin.

Plant profilins are known pan-allergens involved in the cross-reactions between pollen and plant foods. Peanut profilin, Ara h 5, is one of the important peanut allergens. Presently, most immunological, biochemical and structural studies on peanut allergens have focused on the three major allergens (Ara h 1, 2 and 3). Here Ara h 5 was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli, Rosetta2(DE3) (Novagen), purified using a combination of ammonium sulfate fractionation and size-exclusion chromatography and yielded a total of 29 mg/l of culture. IgE reactivity was assayed using multiplexed microarray with other peanut allergens (Ara h 1, 2, 3, and 8) and birch (Bet v 2) and timothy (Phl p 2) profilin using sera from peanut allergic Swedish patients. Using homology modeling, Ara h 5 structure was also generated, compared against other profilins and utilized to predict surface-exposed residues potentially forming epitopes. The allergen was recognized by 3 out of 33 sera (9.1%). IgE reactivity to Ara h 5 also coincided with that of two other profilins, Phl p 12 and Bet v 2, confirming cross-reactivity. Interestingly, IgE reactivity to Ara h 5 was higher than above-mentioned profilins which may be indicating specificity of sera towards peanut profilin. Eight surface-exposed epitopes were predicted and verified against experimentally validated sequential epitopes. Three epitopes (#1, 5 and 7) mostly located at the accessible loops and neutral to relatively electropositive sites were found common among profilins, which should be involved in cross-reactivity. A specific putative epitope (#4) was also found which may explain the relative high IgE reactivity to Ara h 5 as compared to the other profilins. Due to its close relation to other allergenic profilins, Ara h 5 could be used as a model and allergen of choice for profilin allergy diagnosis.

Conservation and divergence on plant seed 11S globulins based on crystal structures.

The crystal structures of two pro-11S globulins namely: rapeseed procruciferin and pea prolegumin are presented here. We have extensively compared them with the other known structures of plant seed 11S and 7S globulins. In general, the disordered regions in the crystal structures among the 11S globulins correspond to their five variable regions. Variable region III of procruciferin is relatively short and is in a loop conformation. This region is highly disordered in other pro-11S globulin crystals. Local helical and strand variations also occur across the group despite general structure conservation. We showed how these variations may alter specific physicochemical, functional and physiological properties. Aliphatic hydrophobic residues on the molecular surface correlate well with Tm values of the globulins. We also considered other structural features that were reported to influence thermal stability but no definite conclusion was drawn since each factor has additive or subtractive effect. Comparison between proA3B4 and mature A3B4 revealed an increase in r.m.s.d. values near variable regions II and IV. Both regions are on the IE face. Secondary structure based alignment of 11S and 7S globulins revealed 16 identical residues. Based on proA3B4 sequence, Pro60, Gly128, Phe163, Phe208, Leu213, Leu227, Ile237, Pro382, Val404, Pro425 and Val 466 are involved in trimer formation and stabilization. Gly28, Gly74, Asp135, Gly349 and Gly397 are involved in correct globular folding.

Carbohydrate moieties contribute significantly to the physicochemical properties of french bean 7s globulin phaseolin.

We have previously reported that the solubility of French bean 7S globulin (phaseolin) at low ionic strength and its emulsifying stability are remarkably high compared with those of 7S globulins prepared from other plant species, including soybean (Kimura et al. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2008, 56, 10273-10279). In this study, we examined the role of carbohydrate moieties in the properties of phaseolin. Three preparations of phaseolin were analyzed: (i) N7S, prepared from defatted seed meal and having intact carbohydrate moieties; (ii) R7S, expressed in E. coli and lacking N-linked glycans; and (iii) EN7S, having partial N-linked glycans after treatment with Endo H. The solubilities of N7S and EN7S were much higher than that of R7S at a low ionic strength (micro = 0.08). N7S exhibited good emulsifying ability under the conditions examined, but R7S did not. In terms of emulsion stability, an emulsion of R7S separated into two phases after 1 h at micro = 0.01, 0.08, and 0.5, whereas the emulsion of N7S was stable for 5 days at micro = 0.01 and for at least 10 days at micro = 0.08 and 0.5. The emulsion stability of EN7S was comparable to that of N7S under most conditions examined. These results indicate the carbohydrate modifications are necessary for the good solubility, emulsifying ability, and emulsion stability of phaseolin. Further, a structural analysis of the carbohydrate moieties indicates that truncated carbohydrate moieties are sufficient for conferring these physicochemical properties to phaseolin.