Imbibition of soybean seeds in warm water results in the release of copious amounts of Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor, a putative anticarcinogenic agent

Protease inhibitors play a protective role against pathogenic microorganisms and herbivorous insects. The two predominant protease inhibitors of soybean seeds are the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) and Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor (BBI). In this study, we report that soybean seeds incubated in warm water release large amounts of proteins into the surrounding media. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis of the seed exudates resulted in the separation of 93 distinct protein spots out of which 90 spots were identified by LC-MS/MS. The basic 7S globulin and the BBI are the two predominant proteins found in the soybean seed exudates. In addition to 7S and 11S seed storage proteins, others known to protect the seeds against pathogens and pests including KTI, peroxidase, α-galactosidase, and endo-1.3-β-glucanase were also identified in the seed exudates. Soybean seed exudate obtained by incubating the seeds in warm water was also able to inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Since soybean seeds release large amounts of enzymatically active BBI when immersed in warm water, our procedure could be exploited as a simplified alternative method for the preparation of BBI concentrate which is being used as a cancer chemoprotective agent.     

Nitrogen lowers the sulfur amino acid content of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) by regulating the accumulation of Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor

Soybeans in general contain 35-40% protein. Efforts are underway to increase further this protein content, thus enhancing their nutritive value. Even though higher protein is a desirable characteristic, whether such an increase will be accompanied by enhanced protein quality is not known. Soybean protein quality could be significantly improved by increasing the concentration of the sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine and methionine. To ascertain if a correlation existed between protein quantity and quality, a comparison of the amino acids of soybeans differing in protein content was made. Soybeans with higher protein content had a significantly lower percentage of sulfur amino acids, while those with lower protein exhibited a higher content of cysteine and methionine. Nitrogen application elevated the protein content but lowered that of the sulfur amino acids. Transmission electron microscopy examination of thin sections of low protein soybean seeds revealed several protein storage vacuoles that were partially filled with storage proteins. Fluorescence two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis of soybean seed proteins revealed that nitrogen application favored the accumulation of the beta-subunit of beta-conglycinin while decreasing the accumulation of Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor (BBI), a protein rich in cysteine. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 60% 2-propanol-extracted proteins showed a drastic reduction in the accumulation of BBI with increasing protein content. Northern blot analysis indicated that nitrogen had a negative influence on the expression of the BBI gene. Our results indicate that the negative correlation between total protein and sulfur amino acid content is mostly mediated by the differential accumulation of BBI.     

Comparative sensitivity of immunoassays for haptens using monomeric and dimeric antibody fragments

A single-chain anti-atrazine antibody fragment, scAb (single-chain Fv with a CK domain), was expressed in Escherichia coli, and monomeric and dimeric species were preferentially purified from periplasmic extracts by chromatography upon nickel chelate immunosorbent columns or by immunoaffinity purification using a constant domain (CK) tag. Recombinant monomeric and dimeric antibody fragments, Fab, and intact monoclonal antibodies were compared in assays by competition between free atrazine in solution and (a) immobilized atrazine-bovine serum albumin conjugate (indirect assay) or (b) atrazine-alkaline phosphatase (direct assay). Recombinant antibody fragments provided a lower detection limit than either Fab or intact monoclonal antibody in both assay formats. Monomeric fragments displayed a sensitivity of detection down to 0.1 ppb, compared to 1.0 ppb for dimeric fragments and the parental monoclonal.     

Lunasin and Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor concentrations of protein extracts from enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction of soybeans

Lunasin and Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor (BBI) are two soybean peptides to which health-promoting properties have been attributed. Concentrations of these peptides were determined in skim fractions produced by enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction processing (EAEP) of extruded full-fat soybean flakes (an alternative to extracting oil from soybeans with hexane) and compared with similar extracts from hexane-defatted soybean meal. Oil and protein were extracted by using countercurrent two-stage EAEP of soybeans at 1:6 solids-to-liquid ratio, 50 °C, pH 9.0, and 120 rpm for 1 h. Protein-rich skim fractions were produced from extruded full-fat soybean flakes using different enzyme strategies in EAEP: 0.5% protease (wt/g extruded flakes) used in both extraction stages; 0.5% protease used only in the second extraction stage; no enzyme used in either extraction stage. Countercurrent two-stage protein extraction of air-desolventized, hexane-defatted soybean flakes was used as a control. Protein extraction yields increased from 66% to 89-96% when using countercurrent two-stage EAEP with extruded full-fat flakes compared to 85% when using countercurrent two-stage protein extraction of air-desolventized, hexane-defatted soybean flakes. Extruding full-fat soybean flakes reduced BBI activity. Enzymatic hydrolysis reduced BBI contents of EAEP skims. Lunasin, however, was more resistant to both enzymatic hydrolysis and heat denaturation. Although using enzymes in both EAEP extraction stages yielded the highest protein and oil extractions, reducing enzyme use to only the second stage preserved much of the BBI and Lunasin.     

Effect of a Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitor from Phaseolus coccineus on Hypothenemus hampei gut proteinases in vitro

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is an important devastating coffee pest worldwide. Both trypsin and chymotrypsin enzyme activities from H. hampei larval midgut can be inactivated by proteinaceous enzyme-inhibitors. A serine proteinase inhibitor belonging to the Bowman-Birk class was purified from a wild accession of Phaseolus coccineus L. seeds. The inhibitor (PcBBI1) is a cysteine-rich protein that is heat-stable at alkaline pH. MALDI-TOF/MS analysis showed that PcBBI1 occurs in seeds as a monomer (8689 Da) or dimer (17,378 Da). Using in vitro inhibition assays, it was found that PcBBI1 has a high inhibitory activity against H. hampei trypsin-like enzymes, bovine pancreatic chymotrypsin, and trypsin. According to this, PcBBI1 could be a promising tool to make genetically modified coffee with resistance to coffee berry borer.     

Complete amino acid sequence of the lentil trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor LCI-1.7 and a discussion of atypical binding sites of Bowman-Birk inhibitors

The complete primary structure of the lentil (Lens culinaris) trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor LCI-1.7 was determined by conventional methods in order to find relationships between partial sequences and the difference in action against human and bovine chymotrypsin. As other Bowman-Birk type inhibitors, LCI-1.7 contained 68 amino acid residues, seven disulfide bridges, and two reactive sites, Arg16-Ser17 for trypsin and Tyr42-Ser43 for chymotrypsin. Evaluation of sequence homologies showed that it belonged to the group III Bowman-Birk inhibitors. The atypical additional binding site of LCI-1.7 for human chymotrypsin was discussed and compared with such binding sites of two other Bowman-Birk inhibitors, the Bowman-Birk soybean proteinase inhibitor BBI, and the lima bean proteinase inhibitor LBI I, for human and bovine trypsin and chymotrypsin. A concept to reduce the action of these inhibitors against human enzymes by genetic engineering was proposed.     

Co-oxidation of beta-carotene catalyzed by soybean and recombinant pea lipoxygenases

A number of products including apocarotenal, epoxycarotenal, apocarotenone, and epoxycarotenone generated by lipoxygenase (LOX) catalyzed co-oxidation of beta-carotene have been tentatively identified through the use of GC/MS and HPLC combined with photodiode array detection. Because of the large number of high molecular weight products detected and their probable chemical structures, a co-oxidation mechanism is proposed that involves random attack along the alkene chain of the carotenoid by a LOX-generated linoleoylperoxyl radical. It is suggested that a direct release from the enzyme of the radical, which initiates the co-oxidation of beta-carotene, is greater for pea LOX-3 than for pea LOX-2 or soybean LOX-1. It is proposed that further products may be formed by free radical propagated reactions and that the formation of 1,10- and 1,14-dicarbonyl compounds may arise by secondary oxidation of the primary products.     

Nitrogen assimilation studies using 15N in soybean plants treated with imazethapyr, an inhibitor of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis

The pattern of nitrogen assimilation in soybean plants treated with a herbicide that inhibits branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis was evaluated by (15)N isotopic analysis. The herbicide imazethapyr caused a strong decrease in nitrate uptake by roots, partly due to a reduced stomatal conductance. The inhibition of (15)N uptake was accompanied by a decrease in the (15)N content in the plant and, concomitantly, an inhibition of translocation to the shoot. Imazethapyr inhibited nitrate reductase activity in leaves and roots. Among all parameters studied, "de novo" synthesis of proteins was the first parameter of the N assimilation metabolism affected by the herbicide. These results show that this class of herbicides totally damages N metabolism and indicates a regulatory effect on N uptake and translocation that would be mediated by the increase in free amino acid pool provoked by the inhibition of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis.     

In vitro inhibition of the activation of Pro-matrix Metalloproteinase 1 (Pro-MMP-1) and Pro-matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Pro-MMP-9) by rice and soybean Bowman-Birk inhibitors

The in vitro inhibitory activity of the rice Bowman-Birk inhibitor (rBBI) or soybean Bowman-Birk inhibitor (sBBI) against trypsin-catalyzed activation of pro-matrix metalloproteinase 1 or 9 (pro-MMP-1 or pro-MMP-9), respectively, was investigated using electrophoresis with silver staining, heparin-enhanced zymography, biotinylated gelatin, Biotrak assay, and fluorescence quenched substrate hydrolysis. rBBI at concentrations of 0.08-0.352 mg/mL dose-dependently inhibited the in vitro activation of 45 microg/mL pro-MMP-1 by trypsin. Heparin-enhanced zymography analysis of pro-MMP-1, trypsin-activated MMP-1, and a mixture of pro-MMP-1-trypsin-rBBI showed clear zones associated with trypsin-activated MMP-1 and the absence of clear zones in lanes containing pro-MMP-1 or a mixture of pro-MMP-1, trypsin, and rBBI. The results of the Biotrak assay also indicated that rBBI dose-dependently suppressed the activation of pro-MMP-1 by trypsin. sBBI dose-dependently inhibited the activation of 100 microg/mL of pro-MMP-9 by trypsin. Biotinylated gelatin assays demonstrated that pro-MMP-9 or pro-MMP-9 in the presence of trypsin and BBI did not hydrolyze gelatin, whereas p-aminophenylmercury acetate (APMA)-activated MMP-9 and trypsin-activated MMP-9 caused significant hydrolysis of gelatin. Quenched fluorescence substrate hydrolysis for total MMP activity showed that pro-MMP-1 or pro-MMP-9 did not hydrolyze the substrate Mca-Pro-Leu-Gly-Leu-Dpa-Ala-Arg-NH2; active MMP-1 or MMP-9 hydrolyzed the substrate, but lower substrate hydrolysis was obtained when pro-MMP-1 or pro-MMP-9 was incubated with trypsin in the presence of increasing concentrations of rBBI. The results are discussed in light of the role of MMP-1 and MMP-9 in the process of angiogenesis and the potential of rBBI or sBBI as a functional food ingredient.     

Quantification and persistence of recombinant DNA of Roundup Ready corn and soybean in rotation

The presence of the recombinant cp4 epsps gene from Roundup Ready (RR) corn and RR soybean was quantified using real-time PCR in soil samples from a field experiment growing RR and conventional corn and soybean in rotation. RR corn and RR soybean cp4 epsps persisted in soil for up to 1 year after seeding. The concentration of recombinant DNA in soil peaked in July and August in RR corn and RR soybean plots, respectively. A small fraction of soil samples from plots seeded with conventional crops contained recombinant DNA, suggesting transgene dispersal by means of natural process or agricultural practices. This research will aid in the understanding of the persistence of recombinant DNA in agricultural cropping systems.     

Contents and bioactivities of lunasin, bowman-birk inhibitor, and isoflavones in soybean seed

It has been previously demonstrated that lunasin is a novel and promising cancer preventive peptide from soybean. The Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor (BBI) and isoflavones are well-studied substances from soy. This study evaluated the levels and bioactivities of these three compounds as affected by stages of seed development and sprouting under light and dark conditions. BBI and lunasin appear at 7 and 6 weeks, respectively, after flowering and increase as the seed matures. Daidzein and genistein both decrease during seed maturation. During sprouting under light, BBI increases up to the 6th day and decreases thereafter, disappearing at the 9th day after soaking. Under dark conditions, BBI increases up to the 7th day after soaking and decreases thereafter, disappearing at the 10th day. Lunasin starts to decrease at 2 days after soaking and disappears completely at 7 days under light and dark conditions. Daidzein and genistein increase continuously during the 10 days of soaking, and both increase more in the dark than under light conditions. Protein extracts from early seed development (2-5 weeks after flowering) suppress cell viability to a greater degree than those from later stages (6-9 weeks). Inhibition of foci formation by protein extracts from later stages is greater than those from earlier stages. Lunasin and BBI suppress foci formation more than the isoflavones. Sprouting decreases lunasin and BBI contents but increases isoflavones. Protein extracts from early soaking times inhibit foci formation more and suppress cell viability less than those from later soaking times. Light and dark conditions have no influence on the bioactivities of protein extracts. These data are useful in the preparation of soy fractions enriched in lunasin, BBI, and isoflavones and in making dietary recommendations.     

口蹄疫重组鸡痘病毒在豚鼠体内的毒性、分布、抗体消长规律的研究

以病毒为重组疫苗的载体构建的活载体基因重组疫苗免疫哺乳动物,抵抗传染病的研究已获得成功,其中鸡痘病毒存在着很大的潜在优势。然而,作为非复制的载体其安全性迫切需要检验。选择重组鸡痘病毒vUTAL 3CP1分别以正常剂量、超大剂量,肌肉注射、静脉注射接种豚鼠,第一次免疫后间隔14 d分别进行二免、三免;对妊娠豚鼠的不同阶段进行免疫,通过PCR、RT-PCR、EL ISA、中和抗体检测和免疫组化等检测方法,对疫苗在豚鼠体内的基因和蛋白分布、抗体消长规律以及毒性,和对妊娠豚鼠和子代体内的基因和蛋白分布、抗体消长规律以及毒性进行研究。实验结果表明:肌肉接种FMD重组疫苗株后,临床观察、病理组织学和检测表明在整个试验期间,试验组免疫动物精神状态良好、饮水、采食等临床表现一切正常;病毒培养表明只在接种的部位免疫3 h可以培养出病毒,其他组织和其他时间点均未能培养出病毒,证明重组鸡痘病毒vUTAL 3CP1在体内是一过性感染,免疫3 h的病毒是未完全吸附的病毒,而不是复制的病毒;通过PCR,RT-PCR检测,可在心脏、肝脏、脾脏、肺脏、肾脏、肌肉、脑、肠系膜淋巴结内检测到了FPV 4b DNA和FMDV VP1 DNA,且在大部分组织能存留5 d左右;增加免疫剂量和进行多次免疫,其在体内存留时间仍然很短,重组疫苗可诱导豚鼠产生较高水平的抗FMDV特异性抗体和中和抗体;静脉注射也在体内检测到病毒的DNA,但其在体内的分布和存留时间短,诱导豚鼠产生的抗FMDV特异性抗体和中和抗体水平比肌肉注射低、且持续时间短,病毒培养表明只在任何组织和任何时间点均未能培养出病毒;对妊娠豚鼠的不同阶段均无毒性,未造成流产、早产、死胎等不良反应,子代未检测到病毒的DNA。以上均证明重组鸡痘病毒vUTAL 3CP1在豚鼠体内存留时间短,对妊娠豚鼠、子代无毒性,且能产生良好的免疫反应,且对环境无污染,为后期其他哺乳动物实验提供必要的基础数据,从而更进一步验证所构建的重组鸡痘活载体疫苗的生物安全性及免疫原性,对免疫动物无安全威胁。     

大豆秸秆纤维制造可降解地膜工艺参数优化

为了提高大豆秸秆的附加值和批量生产经济、满足农艺要求的环境友好型可降解大豆秸秆纤维基地膜,采用二次正交中心旋转组合试验,采用地膜定量、木浆混合比、松香、矾土和湿强剂为影响因素,地膜的干抗张强度和湿抗张强度作为响应函数。试验结果表明：1）各因素对干抗张强度的影响的贡献率从高到低排序为木浆混合比、定量、湿强剂、松香和矾土。2）各因素对湿抗张强度的贡献率从高到低排序为木浆混合比、定量、湿强剂、矾土和松香。3）按照干抗张强度≥30 N、湿抗张强度≥15 N的原则,在木浆混合比0～50%、定量50～110 g/m2、湿强剂1.2%～2%、松香0.3%～1.5%、矾土1%～5%的约束条件下,满足工艺要求的最优参数组合：木浆混合比23.3%～30%、定量92～110 g/m2、湿强剂1.2%、松香0.3%、矾土5%。按最优工艺混合比选取25%时,定量92 g/m2、湿强剂1.2%、松香0.3%、矾土5%制造出地膜试样,干抗张强度32.4 N,湿抗张强度15 N。     

基于矿物元素指纹图谱的黑龙江黄豆产地溯源

该研究探讨了矿物元素指纹分析技术对黑龙江黄豆产地溯源的可行性,筛选出判别黑龙江黄豆产地溯源的有效指标。利用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry,ICP-MS)测定来自齐齐哈尔和北安2个地域50份黄豆样品中52种矿物元素的含量,并对数据进行了方差分析、主成分分析和判别分析。研究表明,46种矿物元素含量在地域间存在显著差异,通过逐步判别分析筛选出8项元素指标建立黄豆产地判别模型,所建立的模型对黄豆产地整体交叉检验判别率为95.7%。As、Ru、Gd含量在黄豆与土壤间呈显著正相关(P0.05),Tb含量在黄豆与土壤间呈极显著正相关(P0.01),由4种元素建立的判别模型对产地判别准确。因此,上述元素是黄豆矿物元素产地鉴别较可靠的指纹信息指标。     

基于DSSAT作物模型的中美大豆主产区单产模拟与验证

开展基于作物模型的大面积作物产量估测研究,可以为及时掌握全球重点地区农作物的生产情况提供数据支撑.该研究以大豆为监测作物,选取中国吉林省和美国爱荷华州作为研究区域,基于DSSAT作物估产模型中的SOYGRO大豆模型,利用分辨率为0.5°×0.5°的生育期气象要素以及500 m×500 m绿色叶绿素植被指数,进行遥感数据...     

基于无人机多光谱的大豆旗叶光合作用量子产量反演方法

大豆旗叶的量子产量（Quantum Yield,QY）对于评估光合效率非常重要,利用无人机多光谱数据对QY值进行高通量反演,能够无损、高效的监测光合作用过程中的生理化学变化。该研究的目的是探究植被指数与QY值相关性,并基于高相关性的植被指数反演QY值,同时分析了多植被指数与单植被指数构建反演模型的准确性。结果表明,与传统反演算法支持向量回归（Support Vector Regression,SVR）相比,基于集成学习的自适应提升（Adaptive Boost,AdaBoost）算法提高了模型的准确性,测试集决定系数（coefficient of determination,R2）为0.982,均方根误差（Root Mean Square Error, RMSE）为0.089,相对分析误差（Residual Predictive Deviation,RPD）为7.29。研究表明基于多植被指数、利用AdaBoost算法可以构建更为有效的无人机多光谱大豆光合有效量子产量反演模型,为评估高通量光合效率提供了一种先进的方法。     

利用Re-YOLOv5和检测区域搜索算法获取大豆植株表型参数

为了解决目标检测区域中冗余信息过多导致无法准确检测大豆分枝的缺陷,同时快速获取大豆植株表型参数,该研究提出了一种基于Re-YOLOv5和检测区域搜索算法的大豆植株表型参数获取方法。Re-YOLOv5引入圆形平滑标签技术（Circular Smooth Label,CSL）实现旋转目标检测,解决了传统目标检测中检测区域冗余信息过多导致无法准确检测大豆分枝的缺陷,并加入协调注意力机制（Coordinate Attention,CA）获取目标位置信息以提升检测精度,此外,将原始骨干网络中的3×3卷积结构替换为RepVGG结构进一步增强模型的特征提取能力。基于Re-YOLOv5提出一种检测区域搜索算法（Detection Area Search,DAS）,该算法将检测到的大豆分枝区域作为待搜索区域,通过该区域中的茎节点坐标信息判断各分枝的茎节点,然后将其进行顺序连接,重构大豆植株骨架,最终获取相关的表型参数。试验结果表明,Re-YOLOv5可以实现检测旋转目标的能力,而且在各项性能指标上都优于YOLOv5,其mAP提升了1.70个百分点,参数量下降0.17 M,针对茎节点的检测精确率提升了9.90个百分点,检测小目标的能力明显增强。检测区域搜索算法也能够准确地定位每个分枝上的茎节点从而重构大豆植株骨架,并得到比较准确的大豆植株表型参数,其中,株高、茎节点数、大豆分枝数的平均绝对误差分别为2.06 cm、1.37个和0.03个,在能够满足实际采集的精度要求的同时,也为获取大豆植株表型信息提供参考。     

Effects of water-soluble hemicellulose from soybean hull on serum antibody levels and activation of macrophages in rats

Effects of soybean hull water-soluble hemicellulose (WSHC) on serum immunoglobulin (Ig) concentration and production of NO and IL-1beta from peritoneal macrophages were examined and compared with those of Agaricus blazei in the rat system. WSHC consisted of arabinose, galactose, xylose, glucose, and rhamnose, and the molecular weight was approximately 500000. Rats were ip administrated each sample at a dose of 0.67, 13.4, or 26.9 mg/kg/day for 14 days. The administration of WSHC resulted in significantly higher productions of IgM (p < 0.01 on day 6, p < 0.05 on day 14) and IgG (p < 0.05 on day 6) than those in other groups. When peritoneal macrophages were stimulated with various concentrations of sample (0.67, 13.4, or 26.9 mg/mL), WSHC significantly increased both NO and IL-1beta productions only at the concentration of 13.4 (mg/mL) compared with those of a saline group. These findings demonstrate that WSHC enhances humoral immunity and activation of macrophages, thereby leading to the augmentation of immune responses in rats.     

Development of a biocatalytic process for the production of c6-aldehydes from vegetable oils by soybean lipoxygenase and recombinant hydroperoxide lyase

Volatile C6- and C9-aldehydes and alcohols are widely used as food flavors to reconstitute the "fresh green" odor of fruits and vegetables lost during processing. To meet the high demand for natural flavors, an efficient, cheap, and versatile biocatalytic process was developed to produce C6-aldehydes on a large scale. Vegetable oils were converted by soybean lipoxygenase and recombinant hydroperoxide lyase into hexanal and (2E)- or (3Z)-hexenal. In contrast to plant extracts, generally used as enzyme sources, high molar conversions were obtained with recombinant hydroperoxide lyase (50% for hexanal and 26% for hexenal formation), and no side products were formed. Furthermore, recombinant hydroperoxide lyase lacks isomerase activity, allowing production of (3Z)-hexenal, which could not be obtained in previously described processes. Recombinant hydroperoxide lyase is stable and can be stored at 4 degrees C for 1 month without significant loss of activity.