Study soya protein aggregation at the molecular level.The ability of proteins to form aggregates has long been exploited to produce foods that have different structural and textural characteristics. Soya storage proteins are widely used in food as gelling agents because they can act as a matrix for holding water, lipids and flavors. They also impart desirable textural properties. Researchers have proposed numerous models to describe the mechanism by which these proteins form heat-set gels. The supporting evidence for these models is, in some instances, sparse or of poor quality because of the technical difficulties experienced in working with aggregated proteins that are only millions of daltons in size. In recent years our understanding of the nature of spontaneous protein aggregation has increased greatly because of its importance in the pathogenesis of conformational diseases such as amyloidosis Amyloidosis Definition Amyloidosis is a progressive, incurable, metabolic disease characterized by abnormal deposits of protein in one or more organs or body systems. , Alzheimer's disease and the spongieform encephalopathies. Atomic force microscopy (AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) A device used to image materials at the atomic level. AFMs are used to solve processing and materials problems in electronics, telecom, biology and other high-tech industries. ) is one of the techniques that has been used successfully in studying these aggregation processes. Scientists at the Institute of Food Research (IFR, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UA, England, U.K.) and colleagues have used AFM to follow the heat-induced formation of soluble aggregates of the soya globulin globulin, any of a large family of proteins of a spherical or globular shape that are widely distributed throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Many of them have been prepared in pure crystalline form. beta-conglycinin. Aggregates only begin forming once the protein is denatured de·na·ture tr.v. de·na·tured, de·na·tur·ing, de·na·tures 1. To change the nature or natural qualities of. 2. and has a linear appearance, indicating that the proteins stack in elongated e·lon·gate tr. & intr.v. e·lon·gat·ed, e·lon·gat·ing, e·lon·gates To make or grow longer. adj. or elongated 1. Made longer; extended. 2. Having more length than width; slender. cylinders. At high protein concentrations (1%w/v), the linear aggregates appear to form large macroaggregates, which may be the precursors of protein gel formation. Such information on the molecular basis of soya protein aggregation involved in gelation gelation /ge·la·tion/ (je-la´shun) conversion of a sol into a gel. ge·la·tion n. 1. Solidification by cooling or freezing. 2. The process of forming a gel. 3. is also important if we are to begin to understand how processing may alter protein allergenicity at the molecular level. Soya storage proteins and their homologues in other plant species are potent allergens, yet we understand little of how aggregation may affect their breakdown during digestion or subsequent interactions with the immune system. Further information. Clare Mills; phone: +44 1603 255000; fax: +44 1603 507723; email: clare.mills@bbsrc.ac.uk; URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : www.ifr.bbsrc.ac.uk. |
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