Atomic force microscopy of a hybrid high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit from a transgenic hexaploid wheat

The high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) of wheat gluten in their native form are incorporated into an intermolecularly disulfide-linked, polymeric system that gives rise to the elasticity of wheat flour doughs. These protein subunits range in molecular weight from about 70 K-90 K and are made up of small N-terminal and C-terminal domains and a large central domain that consists of repeating sequences rich in glutamine, proline, and glycine. The cysteines involved in forming intra- and intermolecular disulfide bonds are found in, or close to, the N- and C-terminal domains. A model has been proposed in which the repeating sequence domain of the HMW-GS forms a rod-like beta-spiral with length near 50 nm and diameter near 2 nm. We have sought to examine this model by using noncontact atomic force microscopy (NCAFM) to image a hybrid HMW-GS in which the N-terminal domain of subunit Dy10 has replaced the N-terminal domain of subunit Dx5. This hybrid subunit, coded by a transgene overexpressed in transgenic wheat, has the unusual characteristic of forming, in vivo, not only polymeric forms, but also a monomer in which a single disulfide bond links the C-terminal domain to the N-terminal domain, replacing the two intermolecular disulfide bonds normally formed by the corresponding cysteine side chains. No such monomeric subunits have been observed in normal wheat lines, only polymeric forms. NCAFM of the native, unreduced 93 K monomer showed fibrils of varying lengths but a length of about 110 nm was particularly noticeable whereas the reduced form showed rod-like structures with a length of about 300 nm or greater. The 110 nm fibrils may represent the length of the disulfide-linked monomer, in which case they would not be in accord with the beta-spiral model, but would favor a more extended conformation for the polypeptide chain, possibly polyproline II.     

Intermolecular disulfide bonds link specific high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits in wheat endosperm.

A detergent wash extracted soluble proteins from wheat flour, leaving a residue enriched with insoluble glutenin aggregates. Digestion of this residue with endoproteinase Lys-C, which showed a limited specificity for glutenin subunits, produced several peptides with apparent molecular weights close to those of intact high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits. N-terminal sequencing indicated that the isolated peptides were composed of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit fragments joined by an intermolecular disulfide bond. In two of these peptides, only two components were found, one from an x-type subunit and the other from a y-type subunit. The isolated peptides all contained at least one x-type C-terminal region and one y-type N-terminal region, suggesting a specific orientation to the intermolecular disulfide linkage.     

Membrane immunoglobulins are stabilized by interchain disulfide bonds occurring within the extracellular membrane-proximal domain

Membrane-bound immunoglobulins have, in addition to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic portions, an extracellular membrane-proximal domain (EMPD), absent in the secretory forms. EMPDs of immunoglobulin isotypes alpha, gamma, and epsilon contain cysteines whose role has so far not been elucidated. Using a genetic strategy, we investigated the ability of these cysteines to form disulfide bridges. Shortened versions of human membrane immunoglobulins, depleted of cysteines known to form intermolecular disulfide bonds, were constructed and expressed on the surface of a B-cell line. The resulting membrane proteins contain a single chain fragment of variable regions (scFv) linked to the dimerizing domain from the immunoglobulin heavy chains (CH3 for alpha and gamma or CH4 for epsilon isotypes), followed by the corresponding EMPD and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. The two functional membrane versions of the epsilon chain, containing the short and long EMPD, were analyzed. Our results show that the single cysteine within alpha1L and gamma1 EMPD and the short version of epsilon EMPD form an interchain disulfide bond. Conversely, the cysteine resident in the epsilon transmembrane domain remains unreacted. epsilon-long EMPD contains four cysteines; two are involved in interchain bonds while the remaining two are likely forming an intrachain bridge. Expression of a full-length membrane epsilon heavy chain mutant, in which Cys(121) and Cys(209) within domain CH2 (involved in interchain bridges) were mutated to alanines, confirmed that, within the complete IgE, EMPD cysteines form interchain disulfide bonds. In conclusion, we unveil evidence for additional covalent stabilization of membrane-bound immunoglobulins.     

Molecular Mechanisms of HMW Glutenin Subunits from 1Sl Genome of Aegilops longissima Positively Affecting Wheat Breadmaking Quality

A wheat cultivar “Chinese Spring” chromosome substitution line CS-1S^l(1B), in which the 1B chromosome was substituted by 1S^l from Aegilops longissima, was developed and found to possess superior dough and breadmaking quality. The molecular mechanism of its super quality conformation is studied in the aspects of high molecular glutenin genes, protein accumulation patterns, glutenin polymeric proteins, protein bodies, starch granules, and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and PDI-like protein expressions. Results showed that the introduced HMW-GS 1S^l×2.3* and 1S^ly16* in the substitution line possesses long repetitive domain, making both be larger than any known x- and y-type subunits from B genome. The introduced subunit genes were also found to have a higher level of mRNA expressions during grain development, resulting in more HMW-GS accumulation in the mature grains. A higher abundance of PDI and PDI-like proteins was observed which possess a known function of assisting disulfide bond formation. Larger HMW-GS deposited in protein bodies were also found in the substitution line. The CS substitution line is expected to be highly valuable in wheat quality improvement since the novel HMW-GS are located on chromosome 1S^l, making it possible to combine with the known superior D×5+Dy10 subunits encoded by Glu-D1 for developing high quality bread wheat.     

Role of individual disulfide bonds in the structural maturation of a low molecular weight glutenin subunit.

Gliadins and glutenins are the major storage proteins that accumulate in wheat endosperm cells during seed development. Although gliadins are mainly monomeric, glutenins consist of very large disulfide-linked polymers made up of high molecular weight and low molecular weight subunits. These polymers are among the largest protein molecules known in nature and are the most important determinants of the viscoelastic properties of gluten. As a first step toward the elucidation of the folding and assembly pathways that lead to glutenin polymer formation, we have exploited an in vitro system composed of wheat germ extract and bean microsomes to examine the role of disulfide bonds in the structural maturation of a low molecular weight glutenin subunit. When conditions allowing the formation of disulfide bonds were established, the in vitro synthesized low molecular weight glutenin subunit was recovered in monomeric form containing intrachain disulfide bonds. Conversely, synthesis under conditions that did not favor the formation of disulfide bonds led to the production of large aggregates from which the polypeptides could not be rescued by the post-translational generation of a more oxidizing environment. These results indicate that disulfide bond formation is essential for the conformational maturation of the low molecular weight glutenin subunit and suggest that early folding steps may play an important role in this process, allowing the timely pairing of critical cysteine residues. To determine which cysteines were important to maintain the protein in monomeric form, we prepared a set of mutants containing selected cysteine to serine substitutions. Our results show that two conserved cysteine residues form a critical disulfide bond that is essential in preventing the exposure of adhesive domains and the consequent formation of aberrant aggregates.     

Stable expression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">1Dx5</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">1Dy10</Emphasis> high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit genes in transgenic rye drastically increases the polymeric glutelin fraction in rye flour

We generated and characterized transgenic rye synthesizing substantial amounts of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) from wheat. The unique bread-making characteristic of wheat flour is closely related to the elasticity and extensibility of the gluten proteins stored in the starchy endosperm, particularly the HMW-GS. Rye flour has poor bread-making quality, despite the extensive sequence and structure similarities of wheat and rye HMW-GS. The HMW-GS 1Dx5 and 1Dy10 genes from wheat, known to be associated with good bread-making quality were introduced into a homozygous rye inbred line by the biolistic gene transfer. The transgenic plants, regenerated from immature embryo derived callus cultures were normal, fertile, and transmitted the transgenes stably to the sexual progeny, as shown by Southern blot and SDS-PAGE analysis. Flour proteins were extracted by means of a modified Osborne fractionation from wildtype (L22) as well as transgenic rye expressing 1Dy10 (L26) or 1Dx5 and 1Dy10 (L8) and were quantified by RP-HPLC and GP-HPLC. The amount of transgenic HMW-GS in homozygous rye seeds represented 5.1% (L26) or 16.3% (L8) of the total extracted protein and 17% (L26) or 29% (L8) of the extracted glutelin fraction. The amount of polymerized glutelins was significantly increased in transgenic rye (L26) and more than tripled in transgenic rye (L8) compared to wildtype (L22). Gel permeation HPLC of the un-polymerized fractions revealed that the transgenic rye flours contained a significantly lower proportion of alcohol-soluble oligomeric proteins compared with the non-transgenic flour. The quantitative data indicate that the expression of wheat HMW-GS in rye leads to a high degree of polymerization of transgenic and native storage proteins, probably by formation of intermolecular disulfide bonds. Even -40k secalins, which occur in non-transgenic rye as monomers, are incorporated into these polymeric structures. The combination 1Dx5 + 1Dy10 showed stronger effects than 1Dy10 alone. Our results are the first example of genetic engineering to significantly alter the polymerization and composition of storage proteins in rye. This may be an important step towards improving bread-making properties of rye whilst conserving its superior stress resistance.     

Role of the amino- and carboxy-terminal regions in the folding and oligomerization of wheat high molecular weight glutenin subunits

The high molecular weight glutenin subunits are considered one of the most important components of wheat (Triticum aestivum) gluten, but their structure and interactions with other gluten proteins are still unknown. Understanding the role of these proteins in gluten formation may be aided by analyses of the conformation and interactions of individual wild-type and modified subunits expressed in heterologous systems. In the present report, the bacterium Escherichia coli was used to synthesize four naturally occurring X- and Y-type wheat high molecular weight glutenin subunits of the Glu-1D locus, as well as four bipartite chimeras of these proteins. Naturally occurring subunits synthesized in the bacteria exhibited sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis migration properties identical to those of high molecular weight glutenin subunits extracted from wheat grains. Wild-type and chimeric subunits migrated in sodium dodecyl sulfate gels differently than expected based on their molecular weights due to conformational properties of their N- and C-terminal regions. Results from cycles of reductive cleavage and oxidative reformation were consistent with the formation of both inter- and intramolecular disulfide bonds in patterns and proportions that differed among specific high molecular weight glutenin species. Comparison of the chimeric and wild-type proteins indicated that the two C-terminal cysteines of the Y-type subunits are linked by intramolecular disulfide bonds, suggesting that the role of these cysteines in glutenin polymerization may be limited.     

A Relaxed Specificity in Interchain Disulfide Bond Formation Characterizes the Assembly of a Low-Molecular-Weight Glutenin Subunit in the Endoplasmic Reticulum

Wheat (Triticum spp.) grains contain large protein polymers constituted by two main classes of polypeptides: the high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits and the low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS). These polymers are among the largest protein molecules known in nature and are the main determinants of the superior technological properties of wheat flours. However, little is known about the mechanisms controlling the assembly of the different subunits and the way they are arranged in the final polymer. Here, we have addressed these issues by analyzing the formation of interchain disulfide bonds between identical and different LMW-GS and by studying the assembly of mutants lacking individual intrachain disulfides. Our results indicate that individual cysteine residues that remain available for disulfide bond formation in the folded monomer can form interchain disulfide bonds with a variety of different cysteine residues present in a companion subunit. These results imply that the coordinated expression of many different LMW-GS in wheat endosperm cells can potentially lead to the formation of a large set of distinct polymeric structures, in which subunits can be arranged in different configurations. In addition, we show that not all intrachain disulfide bonds are necessary for the generation of an assembly-competent structure and that the retention of a LMW-GS in the early secretory pathway is not dependent on polymer formation.The unique ability of wheat (Triticum spp.) flour to form a dough that has the rheological properties required for the production of leavened bread and other foods is largely due to the characteristics of the proteins that accumulate in wheat endosperm cells during seed development (Gianibelli et al., 2001). Among these endosperm proteins, a major role is played by prolamines, a large group of structurally different proteins sharing the characteristic of being particularly high in Pro and Gln.On the basis of their polymerization status, wheat prolamines can be subdivided into two groups, the gliadins and the glutenins. While gliadins are monomeric, glutenins are heterogeneous mixtures of polymers where individual subunits are held together by interchain disulfide bonds (Galili et al., 1996; Tatham and Shewry, 1998). The subunits participating to the formation of these large polymers have been classified into four groups according to their electrophoretic mobility (Gianibelli et al., 2001). The A group is constituted by the so-called high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS), while polypeptides in groups B, C, and D are collectively termed low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS). While only three to five HMW-GS are expressed in common wheat endosperm, LMW-GS include a very large number of different polypeptides.Different models of glutenin assembly have been proposed (see Gianibelli et al., 2001 for a review), but the determination of their precise structure and M_r distribution has been hampered by their large size and complex subunit composition. Crucially, because disulfide bonds appear to be the major factor affecting polymer stability, it would be very useful to know whether the pairing between specific Cys residues, rather than random assembly, controls glutenin polymer formation. Indeed, data obtained with HMW-GS indicate that the formation of certain types of intermolecular disulfide bonds is particularly favored (Tao et al., 1992; Shimoni et al., 1997). In the case of LMW-GS, at least two functionally distinct types of subunits can be distinguished. Subunits of the first type, to which the majority of B-type subunits belong, would act as chain extenders, because they contain two Cys residues that remain available for the formation of interchain disulfide bonds. Subunits of the second type, containing a single Cys residue able to form an interchain disulfide bond, would instead act as chain terminators (Kasarda, 1989). Most of the members of this second group are indeed modified gliadins that participate to polymer formation thanks to the presence of extra Cys residues (D''Ovidio and Masci, 2004). Given the complexity of the situation found in wheat endosperm, where many different subunits are synthesized at the same time and can participate in the formation of complex high-M_r polymers, the study of glutenin polymer formation can take advantage of the use of heterologous expression systems where the behavior of individual subunits can be more easily monitored. For instance, the expression of HMW-GS in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) has provided insights into the rules governing the assembly of some of the subunits belonging to this class (Shani et al., 1994; Shimoni et al., 1997). In this work, we have used heterologous expression of wild-type and modified LMW-GS in tobacco protoplasts to study the assembly of this class of gluten polypeptides. Our results confirm that disulfide bonds are crucial for the assembly of these proteins and indicate that a relaxed specificity in Cys pairing from different subunits can drive the formation of complex glutenin polymers.     

Characterization of a novel variant HMW-glutenin gene from Elymus canadensis

High molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunits (GS) play a key role in the determination of end-use quality of wheat and other cereal crops. In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of both promoter region and ORF of novel HMW-GS allele 1St1.3 from a perennial Triticeae species, Elymus canadensis. The amino acid (AA) sequences of E. canadensis 1St1.3 were deduced as 434 aa. Its protein primary structure comprises a signal peptide with a conserved N-terminal domain, a central repetitive domain and a C-terminal domain. E. canadensis 1St 1.3 possesses several distinct characteristics which are different from those of wheat HMW-GSs. The N-terminal domains of E. canadensis 1St 1.3 resemble that of y-type subunits, while their C-terminal domains are more similar to x-type subunits. The deletion of 85 bp fragment has been observed in promoter region of 1St 1.3, however which has not interrupted the expression of this gene. Our results indicate that 1St 1.3 is novel HMW-GS variants which will be valuable for enhancing our understanding of structural differentiation and the evolutionary relationship among HMW-GSs in Triticeae species.     

The Venus's-flytrap and cysteine-rich domains of the human Ca2+ receptor are not linked by disulfide bonds

The extracellular N-terminal domain of the human Ca(2+) receptor (hCaR) consists of a Venus's-flytrap (VFT) domain and a cysteine-rich (Cys-rich) domain. We have shown earlier that the Cys-rich domain is critical for signal transmission from the VFT domain to the seven-transmembrane domain. The VFT domain contains 10 cysteines: two of them (Cys(129) and Cys(131)) were identified as involved in intermolecular disulfide bonds necessary for homodimerization, and six others (Cys(60)-Cys(101), Cys(358)-Cys(395), and Cys(437)-Cys(449)) are predicted to form three intramolecular disulfide bonds. The Cys-rich domain contains nine cysteines, the involvement of which in disulfide bond formation has not been defined. In this work, we asked whether the remaining cysteines in the hCaR VFT, namely Cys(236) and Cys(482), form disulfide bond(s) with cysteines in the Cys-rich domain. We constructed mutant hCaRs with a unique tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease recognition site inserted between the VFT domain and the Cys-rich domain. These mutant hCaRs remain fully functional compared with the wild type hCaR. After TEV protease digestion of the mutant hCaR proteins, dimers of the VFT were identified on Western blot under nonreducing conditions. We concluded that there is no disulfide bond between the VFT and the Cys-rich domains in the hCaR.     

Isolation and molecular characterization of high molecular weight glutenin subunit genes 1Bx13 and 1By16 from hexaploid wheat

The high molecular weight glutenin subunit （HMW-GS） pair 1Bx13＋1By16 are recognized to positively correlate with bread-making quality; however, their molecular data remain unknown. In order to reveal the mechanism by which 1By16 and 1Bx13 creates high quality, their open reading frames （ORFs） were amplified from common wheat Atlas66 and Jimai 20 using primers that were designed based on published sequences of HMW glutenin genes. The ORF of 1By16 was 2220bp, deduced into 738 amino acid residues with seven cysteines including 59 hexapeptides and 22 nanopeptides motifs. The ORF of 1Bx13 was 2385bp, deduced into 795 amino acid residues with four cysteines including 68 hexapeptides, 25 nanopeptides and six tripepUdes motifs. We found that 1By16 was the largest y-type HMW glutenin gene described to date in common wheat. The 1By16 had 36 amino acid residues inserted in the central repetitive domain compared with 1By15. Expression in bacteria and western-blot tests confirmed that the sequence cloned was the ORF of HMW-GS 1By16, and that 1Bx13 was one of the largest 1Bx genes that have been described so far in common wheat, exhibiting a hexapeptide （PGQGQQ） insertion in the end of central repetitive domain compared with 1Bx7. A phylogenetic tree based on the deduced full-length amino acid sequence alignment of the published HMW-GS genes showed that the 1By16 was clustered with Glu-1B-2, and that the 1Bx13 was clustered with Glu-1B-1 alleles.     

云南小麦高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基基因1Dy12*的分离

通过SDS-PAGE分析,从云南小麦中鉴定出一个电泳迁移率比高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基1Dy12稍快的亚基1Dy12^*。利用Glu-Dy位点特异引物对1Dy12^*基因编码区进行了克隆和序列测定。1Dy12^*基因全长为1980bp,编码658个氨基酸。氨基酸序列比较结果表明:与亚基1Dy12相比有3个氨基酸的差异和1个二肽(GQ)的缺失,与亚基1Dy10相比有15个氨基酸的差异、2个六肽(IGQGQQ)的插入以及1个二肽(GQ)的缺失。这表明1Dy12^*亚基是一个新型高分子麦谷蛋白亚基,其对小麦加工品质的影响正在评价中。     

高冰草中一种新型高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基编码序列的研究

高冰草(Agropyron elongatun)是普通小麦(Triticum aestivum)的近缘禾草,SDS-PAGE显示其所编码的麦谷蛋白亚基的类型较普通小麦更加丰富,是普通小麦品质改良的重要亲本之一。利用基因组PCR的方法从高冰草中克隆到一个新的高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基(HMW-GS)基因(AgeloG2)全编码序列,同源性分析表明：与普通小麦的1Dy12基因比较在少数位点发生了碱基替换和一处6碱基序列的缺失,同源性为99％;与普通小麦的1Dy10基因比较,该基因亦只有少数碱基的替换和两处18碱基序列的增加及一处6碱基序列的缺失,同源性为98％。从推导的编码序列分析,AgeloG2编码y型HMW—GS。综上分析,AgeloG2是一个新的高分子量麦谷蛋白y-型亚基基因。聚类分析结果显示,无论在基因序列还是推导的氨基酸序列上,小麦1Dy亚基与AgeloG2的同源性都高于与粗山羊来源的y型亚基的同源性。     

Development of isohomoeoallelic lines within the wheat cv. Courtot for high molecular weight glutenin subunits: transfer of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glu-D1</Emphasis> locus to chromosome 1A

Wheat quality depends on protein composition and grain protein content. High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) play an important role in determining the viscoelastic properties of gluten. In an attempt to improve the bread-making quality of hexaploid wheat by elaborating novel HMW-GS combinations, a fragment of wheat chromosome 1D containing the Glu-D1 locus encoding the Dx2+Dy12 subunits was translocated to the long arm of chromosome 1A using the ph1b mutation. The partially isohomoeoallelic line selected was characterized using cytogenetical and molecular approaches to assess the amount of chromatin introgressed in the translocated 1A chromosome. Triple-target genomic in situ hybridization indicated that the translocated 1A chromosome had a terminal 1D segment representing 25% of the length of the recombinant long arm. The translocation was also identified on the long arm using molecular markers, and its length was estimated with a minimum of 91 cM. Proteome analysis was performed on total endosperm proteins. Out of the 152 major spots detected, 9 spots were up-regulated and 4 spots were down-regulated. Most of these proteins were identified as α-, β-, γ-gliadins assigned to the chromosomes of homoeologous groups 1 and 6. Quantitative variations in the HMW-GS were only observed in subunit Dy12 in response to duplication of the Glu-D1 locus.     

D hordeins of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hordeum chilense</Emphasis>: a novel source of variation for improvement of wheat

The high molecular weight subunits of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) glutenin (HMW-GS) are important in determining the bread-making quality of flour and dough. There is therefore interest in transferring orthologous HMW-GS present in other grass species into wheat by wide crossing in order to extend the range of end use properties. In this work, we have isolated and characterized two genes encoding D hordeins from Hordeum chilense (Roem. et Schult.) lines H1 and H7, representing two ecotypes. The fragments were 4,305 bp for line H1 and 4,227 for line H7 and contained the promoter, coding and terminator regions. Both sequences differ in the presence of single base changes (SNPs) and insertions/deletions in the open reading frame (ORF). The encoded proteins comprise 870 and 896 amino acids for lines H1 and H7, respectively. The primary structure is similar to those of D hordeins of cultivated barley (H. vulgare L.) and HMW-GS from wheat. However, the D hordeins from H. chilense are significantly larger than those from cultivated barley due to the presence of longer repetitive regions. The H. chilense D hordeins also differ from those of cultivated barley in the distribution of the cysteine residues: whereas the D hordeins of cultivated barley contain ten cysteines with four in the repetitive domain, only nine are present in the H. chilense proteins with two in the repetitive domain. As in the HMW-GS, the central part of the D hordein proteins comprises repeated sequences based on short peptide motifs. The repetitive domain is divided in three regions named as R1 (N-terminal repeats), R2 (central degenerate repeats) and R3 (C-terminal repeats). Hexapeptide motifs are present throughout the repetitive domains of D hordeins with a consensus motif of PFQGQQ in R1 and R2 and PHQGQQ in R3. In addition, the tetrapeptide motif TTVS, which is characteristic of D hordeins of cultivated barley is present in the repetitive domain close to the protein C-terminus.     

Relationship between the dough quality and content of specific glutenin proteins in wheat mill streams, and its application to making flour suitable for instant Chinese noodles

The content of specific proteins such as high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits HMW-GS 5+10 and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits LMW-GS KS2 in wheat mill streams of extra-strong Kachikei 33 wheat was quantified by SDS-PAGE and 2D-PAGE. The mill streams showed varied quantities of HMW-GS 5+10 (0.077 to 2.007 mg/g of mill stream), LMW-GS KS2 (0.018 to 0.586 mg/g of mill stream) and total protein (9.42% to 18.98%). The contents of these specific proteins in the mill streams were significantly correlated with the SDS sedimentation volume and the mixing properties, which are respective indices of specific loaf volume and dough strength. The contents of these specific glutenin proteins in the mill streams were therefore found to be significantly important for improving the dough quality suitable for bread and Chinese noodles. Accordingly, we present here the application of this information to the development of an effective method for producing mill streams with high quality and yield that are suitable for instant Chinese noodles.     

小麦高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基的遗传变异与小麦加工品质改良

高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基（HMW-GS）是小麦胚乳中一种具有多态性的蛋白质组分,在面团中它们可以通过相互之间或与低分子量麦谷蛋白亚基（LMw-Gs）之间形成二硫键来组成麦谷蛋白多聚体。由于其在小麦面粉加工所需的粘性和弹力方面具有极其重要的作用,过去几十年间在小麦加工品质相关蛋白研究方面的工作大多数集中在高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基上。近几年在高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基及其编码基因的鉴定、基因的遗传变异以及不同变异在小麦加工品质中的作用方面进行了大量研究。本文对近几年在HMW-GS领域的研究进展进行综述并且重点讨论HMW-GS的变异及其对小麦品质育种的重要意义。     

Functional TIM10 chaperone assembly is redox-regulated in vivo

The TIM10 chaperone facilitates the insertion of hydrophobic proteins at the mitochondrial inner membrane. Here we report the novel molecular mechanism of TIM10 assembly. This process crucially depends on oxidative folding in mitochondria and involves: (i) import of the subunits in a Cys-reduced and unfolded state; (ii) folding to an assembly-competent structure maintained by intramolecular disulfide bonding of their four conserved cysteines; and (iii) assembly of the oxidized zinc-devoid subunits to the functional complex. We show that intramolecular disulfide bonding occurs in vivo, whereas intermolecular disulfides observed in vitro are abortive intermediates in the assembly pathway. This novel mechanism of compartment-specific redox-regulated assembly is crucial for the formation of a functional TIM10 chaperone.     

Proteomic analysis of aneuploid lines in the homeologous group 1 of the hexaploid wheat cultivar Courtot

Three monosomic lines (MSLs) and three nullisomic lines (NSLs) of the homeologous group 1 and one euploid line of the bread wheat Triticum aestivum cultivar Courtot were used in a proteomic approach to investigate the effects of zero, one or two doses of chromosomes 1A, 1B and 1D on the amount of endosperm proteins. Polypeptides whose amounts changed significantly between each aneuploid line and the euploid line were identified using image analyses of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis patterns resulting from specific endosperm protein extractions. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry were also used for protein identification. Removing one chromosome or a chromosome pair allowed varying responses to be observed for the remaining endosperm protein genes. Compensation phenomena for the high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) were detected only in the MSLs. Subunits Bx7, By8 and Dy12 were the only HMW-GS overexpressed (from 152-737%) when chromosomes 1A or 1B or 1D were at hemizygous state. Thirteen new protein spots were detected only in the NSL1D, and seven were identified as HMW-GS analogs. These seven new spots may result from the expression of inactive genes. The HMW-GS were of significantly higher volume in MSLs, whereas the low molecular weight glutenin subunits and the gamma-gliadins were of lower volume in aneuploid lines. Most of the down-regulated proteins in the MSLs were storage proteins encoded at loci located on another chromosome pair. Complex regulations between chromosomes and loci of the homeologous groups 1 and 6 in bread wheat are discussed.     

Assignment of disulfide bridges in the fusion glycoprotein of Sendai virus.

The mature fusion (F) glycoprotein of the paramyxovirus family consists of two disulfide-linked subunits, the N-terminal F2 and the C-terminal F1 subunits, and contains 10 cysteine residues which are highly conserved at specific positions. The high level of conservation strongly suggests that they are indeed disulfide linked and play important roles in the folding and functioning of the molecule. However, it has not even been clarified which cysteine residues link the F2 and F1 subunits. This report describes our assignment of the disulfide bridges in purified Sendai virus F glycoprotein by fragmentation of the polypeptide and isolation of cystine-containing peptides and determination of their N-terminal sequences. The data demonstrate that all of the 10 cysteine residues participate in disulfide bridges and that Cys-70, the only cysteine in F2, and Cys-199, the most upstream cysteine in F1, form the interchain bond. Of the remaining eight cysteine residues clustered near the transmembrane domain of F1, the specific bridges identified are Cys-338 to Cys-347 and Cys-362 to Cys-370. Although no exact pairings between the subsequent four residues were defined, it seems likely that the most downstream, Cys-424, is linked to Cys-394, Cys-399, or Cys-401. Thus, we conclude that the cysteine-rich domain indeed contributes to the formation of a bunched structure containing at least two tandem cystine loops.