Generality and Diversity of Winged Bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) Protein in Eight Various Lines

Protein components from eight lines of winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) seeds which were originally introduced from Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Ishigaki, and cultivated in Okinawa and Fukuoka, were investigated. Two major peaks which had sedimentation coefficients, s₂₀, of about 2.5S and about 6.5S (6.0 to 6.6 for the 8 lines), and no larger component were observed in all specimens with more than 90% extraction. Electrophoretic profiles of the “6.5S” component(s) which was separated with Sepharose 6B column chromatography showed a main broad band and a few minor bands which seemed to be essentially similar among the eight lines of winged bean. Thus the “6.5S” protein surely could be regarded as the common storage protein in winged bean seeds. The subunit structure of the “6.5S” component(s) in SDS solution consisted of four major bands. The “2.5S” components were mixtures and combinations of various proteins which were distinctly different from one selection to another.