Search

Among the ophidians that inhabit the Northeast of Argentina, the genus Bothrops such as B. alternatus and B. diporus species (also known as yararás) and Crotalus durisus terrificus (named cascabel), represent the most studied snake venom for more than thirty years. These two genera of venomous snakes account for the majority of poisonous snake envenomations and therefore, constitute a medical emergency in this region. This review presents a broad description of the compiled knowledge about venomous snakebite: its pathophysiological action, protein composition, isolated toxins, toxin synergism, toxin-antitoxin cross-reaction assays. Properties of some isolated toxins support a potential pharmacological application.

The proteomic analyses of human blood and blood-derived products (e.g. plasma) offers an attractive avenue to translate research progress from the laboratory into the clinic. However, due to its unique protein composition, performing proteomics assays with plasma is challenging. Plasma proteomics has regained interest due to recent technological advances, but challenges imposed by both complications inherent to studying human biology (e.g. inter-individual variability), analysis of biospecimen (e.g. sample variability), as well as technological limitations remain. As part of the Human Proteome Project (HPP), the Human Plasma Proteome Project (HPPP) brings together key aspects of the plasma proteomics pipeline. Here, we provide considerations and recommendations concerning study design, plasma collection, quality metrics, plasma processing workflows, mass spectrometry (MS) data acquisition, data processing and bioinformatic analysis. With exciting opportunities in studying human health and disease though this plasma proteomics pipeline, a more informed analysis of human plasma will accelerate interest whilst enhancing possibilities for the incorporation of proteomics-scaled assays into clinical practice.Abstract Figure

Global climate change in recent years has resulted in extreme heat and drought events that significantly influence crop production and endanger food security. Such abiotic stress during the growing season has a negative effect on yield as well as on the functional properties of wheat grain protein content and composition. This reduces the value of grain, as these factors significantly reduce end-use quality. In this study, four Hungarian bread wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum) with different drought and heat tolerance were examined. Changes in the size- and hydrophobicity-based distribution of the total proteins of the samples have been monitored by SE- and RP-HPLC, respectively, together with parallel investigations of changes in the amounts of the R5 and G12 antibodies related to celiac disease immunoreactive peptides. Significant difference in yield, protein content and composition have been observed in each cultivar, altering the amounts of CD-related gliadin, as well as the protein parameters directly related to techno-functional properties (Glu/Gli ratio, UPP%). The extent of changes largely depended on the timing of the abiotic stress. The severity of the negative effect depended on the growth stage in which abiotic stress occurred.

Tissues and organs are composed of distinct cell types that must operate in concert to perform physiological functions. Efforts to create high-dimensional biomarker catalogs of these cells are largely based on transcriptomic single-cell approaches that lack the spatial context required to understand critical cellular communication and correlated structural organization. To probe in situ biology with sufficient coverage depth, several multiplexed protein imaging methods have recently been developed. Though these antibody-based technologies differ in strategy and mode of immunolabeling and detection tags, they commonly utilize antibodies directed against protein biomarkers to provide detailed spatial and functional maps of complex tissues. As these promising antibody-based multiplexing approaches become more widely adopted, new frameworks and considerations are critical for training future users, generating molecular tools, validating antibody panels, and harmonizing datasets. In this perspective, we provide essential resources and key considerations for obtaining robust and reproducible multiplexed antibody-based imaging data compiling specialized knowledge from domain experts and technology developers., Comment: {\ddag}authors contributed equally to this work

Drought stress is playing an increasingly important role in crop production due to climate change. To investigate the effects of drought stress on protein quantity and quality of wheat, two Iranian (Alvand, Mihan) and four German (Impression, Discus, Rumor, Hybery) winter wheat genotypes, representing different quality classes and grain protein levels, were grown under field conditions in Eqlid (Iran) during the 2018–2019 growing season. Drought stress was initiated by interrupting field irrigation during the anthesis phase at two different stress levels. Drought stress at anthesis did not significantly change total grain protein concentration in any of the wheat genotypes. Similarly, concentrations of grain storage protein sub-fractions of albumin/globulin, gliadin and glutenin were unaltered in five of the six genotypes. However, analysis of protein sub-fractions by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a consistent significant increase in ω-gliadins with increasing drought stress. Higher levels of HMW glutenins and a reduction in LMW-C glutenins were observed exclusively under severe drought stress in German genotypes. The drought-induced compositional change correlated positively with the specific bread volume, and was mainly associated with an increase in ω-gliadins and with a slight increase in HMW glutenins. Despite the generally lower HMW glutenin concentrations of the Iranian genotypes and no effect of drought on the concentration of HMW sub-fraction, there was still high specific bread volume under drought. It is suggested that for the development of new wheat cultivars adapted to these challenging climatic conditions, the protein composition should be considered in addition to the yield and grain protein concentration.

Interest in feeding crayfish under culture conditions has increased in the last few years; however, there is still a lack of information on feeding crayfish according to their nutritional requirements (i.e., protein and amino acid dietary demands of broodstock). In this study, the protein and amino acid composition of abdominal muscle, gonads and hepatopancreas of male and female broodstock crayfish Pontastacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823) were determined in the reproductive season. The results show that in P. leptodactylus, the amount of protein in the ovary was 47.25 mg/g and that it was 35.03 mg/g and 39.36 mg/g in the testes and vasa deferentia, respectively. In males, the values of essential amino acids (EAA) obtained in the abdominal muscle were significantly lower than those obtained from the hepatopancreas, testes and vasa deferentia (P < 0.05). In female crayfish, EAA/total amino acids (TAA) were found to be 45.48 % in the ovary, which is significantly higher than that of the abdominal muscle (40.19 %) and hepatopancreas (42.14 %) (P < 0.05). The results also show that abdominal valine, threonine, lysine, and histidine were statistically higher in female crayfish than male crayfish (P < 0.01). Leucine was the major EAA found in males in abdominal muscle (8.73 %). In conclusion, this study analyzed the protein and amino acid composition of abdominal muscle, hepatopancreas and gonad of crayfish in the breeding season in order to understand the protein and amino acid contents of wild caught crayfish and get an idea on the nutritional requirements of P. leptodactylus in the reproductive season.

l-asparaginase is an essential enzyme in medicine and a well-known chemotherapeutic agent. This enzyme’s importance is not limited to its use as an anti-cancer agent; it also has a wide variety of medicinal applications. Antimicrobial properties, prevention of infectious disorders, autoimmune diseases, and canine and feline cancer are among the applications. Apart from the healthcare industry, its importance has been identified in the food industry as a food manufacturing agent to lower acrylamide levels. When isolated from their natural habitats, they are especially susceptible to different denaturing conditions due to their protein composition. The use of an immobilization technique is one of the most common approaches suggested to address these limitations. Immobilization is a technique that involves fixing enzymes to or inside stable supports, resulting in a heterogeneous immobilized enzyme framework. Strong support structures usually stabilize the enzymes’ configuration, and their functions are maintained as a result. In recent years, there has been a lot of curiosity and focus on the ability of immobilized enzymes. The nanomaterials with ideal properties can be used to immobilize enzymes to regulate key factors that determine the efficacy of bio-catalysis. With applications in biotechnology, immunosensing, biomedicine, and nanotechnology sectors have opened a realm of opportunities for enzyme immobilization.

Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are self-assembling prokaryotic organelles consisting of a polyhedral proteinaceous shell and encapsulated enzymes that are involved in CO2 fixation or carbon catabolism. Addressing how the hundreds of building components self-assemble to form the metabolically functional organelles and how their structures and functions are modulated in the extremely dynamic bacterial cytoplasm is of importance for basic understanding of protein organelle formation and synthetic engineering of metabolic modules for biotechnological applications. Here, we highlight recent advances in understanding the protein composition and stoichiometry of BMCs, with a particular focus on carboxysomes and propanediol utilization microcompartments. We also discuss relevant research on the structural plasticity of native and engineered BMCs, and the physiological regulation of BMC assembly, function and positioning in native hosts.

The axon initial segment (AIS) is a distinct neuronal domain, which is responsible for initiating action potentials, and therefore of key importance to neuronal signaling. To determine how it functions, it is necessary to establish which proteins reside there, how they are organized, and what the dynamic features are. Great strides have been made in recent years, and it is now clear that several AIS cytoskeletal and membrane proteins interact to form a higher-order periodic structure. Here we briefly describe AIS function, protein composition and molecular architecture, and discuss perspectives for future structural characterization, and if structure predictions will be able to model complex higher-order assemblies.

Growing microtubule ends provide platforms for the accumulation of plus-end tracking proteins that organize into comets of mixed protein composition. Using a reconstituted fission yeast system consisting of end-binding protein Mal3, kinesin Tea2 and cargo Tip1, we found that these proteins can be driven into liquid phase droplets both in solution and at microtubule ends under crowding conditions. In the absence of crowding agents, cryo-electron tomography revealed that motor-dependent comets consist of disordered networks where multivalent interactions appear to facilitate the non-stoichiometric accumulation of cargo Tip1. We dissected the contribution of two disordered protein regions in Mal3 and found that both are required for the ability to form droplets and Tip1 accumulation, while autonomous Mal3 comet formation only requires one of them. Using theoretical modeling, we explore possible mechanisms by which motor activity and multivalent interactions may lead to the observed enrichment of Tip1 at microtubule ends.

The use of by-products for fishmeal production is constantly rising. During this process, stickwater is generated, an effluent that contains organic matter in soluble, colloidal or particulate form. It has been shown that stickwater contains an important amount of protein and that its characterization is the first step into achieving its full valorization. Tuna canning by-product´s stickwater was centrifuged and fractionated by ultrafiltration to bring awareness to its protein quality. Stickwater had a net protein content of 61.4%, centrifuged stickwater maintained a similar protein content meanwhile the protein content in ultrafiltered fractions decreased as their molecular weight range decreased as well. Stickwater, centrifuged stickwater and the fraction R10 presented gel-like characteristics that could position this effluent as a potential source of gelatin. The electrophoretic profile of stickwater, centrifuged stickwater and centrifuged solids demonstrated that a high amount of protein in stickwater was soluble. This first glance at protein/peptides from tuna canning by-products is part of the ongoing effort to propose their recovery an alternative and sustainable use of a fish processing effluent with potential application as a source of peptides with algicidal bioactivity against harmful algal blooms (HABs).

In-depth quantitative proteomic analysis of clinical specimens offers unique and invaluable insights into their protein composition and biochemical state in physiological and pathological conditions. A plethora of methodologies have been developed and customized. Here, we summarize the most common and emerging mass spectrometry (MS)-based workflows. Due to space limitations the overview cannot be complete. To view this SnapShot, open or download the PDF.

Caveolae are cell membrane invaginations of defined lipid and protein composition that flatten with increasing membrane tension. Super-resolution light microscopy and electron microscopy have revealed that caveolae can take a variety of cuplike shapes. We show here that, for the range in membrane tension relevant for cell membranes, the competition between membrane tension and membrane bending yields caveolae with cuplike shapes similar to those observed experimentally. We find that the caveola shape and its sensitivity to changes in membrane tension can depend strongly on the caveola spontaneous curvature and on the size of caveola domains. Our results suggest that heterogeneity in caveola shape produces a staggered response of caveolae to mechanical perturbations of the cell membrane, which may facilitate regulation of membrane tension over the wide range of scales thought to be relevant for cell membranes.

Membrane contact sites are critical junctures for organelle signaling and communication. Endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane (ER–PM) contact sites were the first membrane contact sites to be described; however, the protein composition and molecular function of these sites is still emerging. Here, we leverage yeast and Drosophila model systems to uncover a novel role for the Hobbit (Hob) proteins at ER–PM contact sites. We find that Hobbit localizes to ER–PM contact sites in both yeast cells and the Drosophila larval salivary glands, and this localization is mediated by an N-terminal ER membrane anchor and conserved C-terminal sequences. The C-terminus of Hobbit binds to plasma membrane phosphatidylinositols, and the distribution of these lipids is altered in hobbit mutant cells. Notably, the Hobbit protein is essential for viability in Drosophila, providing one of the first examples of a membrane contact site-localized lipid binding protein that is required for development.

Modifying hen fodder is a common way of changing eggs composition today. However, there is no information on the effect of the source of protein in the fodder replacement on egg allergenicity. This research aimed to detect potential differences in the immunoreactivity and protein composition of eggs from hens fed with fodder containing legume. The aim of the first step of the study was to select the proper solvent for extracting allergenic proteins from hen eggs. Two of them (containing Tween 20 and Triton 100) were selected, based on protein profile and concentration analysis. Egg-white- and egg-yolk-proteins extracts prepared with them were checked for potential differences, using SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, and then the Western-blot method, using sera from children allergic to eggs and soy. Preliminary studies on the influence of fodder composition on the composition of egg proteins suggest that the addition of soy and lupine to fodder modifies the expression of egg proteins. The observed differences in the immunoreactivity of proteins contained in hen egg-white samples do not seem to be as significant as the appearance of protein with a molecular weight of ~13 kDa in the yolk of eggs obtained from soybean-fed hens. This protein may increase the immunoreactivity of eggs for children allergic solely to soy.

In this review, we delve into the topic of the pulmonary surfactant (PS) system, which is present in the respiratory system. The total composition of the PS has been presented and explored, from the types of cells involved in its synthesis and secretion, down to the specific building blocks used, such as the various lipid and protein components. The lipid and protein composition varies across species and between individuals, but ultimately produces a PS monolayer with the same role. As such, the composition has been investigated for the ways in which it imposes function and confers peculiar biophysical characteristics to the system as a whole. Moreover, a couple of theories/models that are associated with the functions of PS have been addressed. Finally, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of pulmonary surfactant have been emphasized to not only showcase various group’s findings, but also to demonstrate the validity and importance that MD simulations can have in future research exploring the PS monolayer system.

Highlights • US pre-treatment had profound effects on Ara h 1 protein in peanut sprouts. • Protease activity increased significantly during germination after US. • Cavitation and the heat effect from US destroyed intramolecular hydrogen bonds and resulted in the blue shift phenomenon. • The gene expression level of Ara h 1 was significantly lower in the US group than in the control BK group., Ara h 1 is the most abundant sensitizing protein in peanuts; it has high thermal stability and is difficult to degrade. The peanut sprout is a high-quality, natural food that has various beneficial effects and lower allergenicity than peanut seeds. In this study, ultrasonication (US) of peanut sprouts was used to alter their Ara h 1 content. We determined that the optimal parameters for the US process were 35 °C temperature, 30 min duration, 240 W power, and 100 kHz frequency. After 5 days of germination, the protease activity of the control (blank) group increased to 262.39 ± 0.10 U, whereas that of the US group increased to 290.1 ± 0.25 U. We also investigated the effects of US on Ara h 1 protein composition, structure, and related gene expression during germination. ELISA results showed that after 5 days of germination, Ara h 1 content in the blank group decreased from 20.63 ± 0.31 ppm to 3.35 ± 0.42 ppm, whereas in the US group, they decreased to below the detection limit. SDS-PAGE bands between 50 and 70 kDa from peanut sprout extracts gradually became lighter in both groups. The band almost disappeared at day 5 of germination in the US group, indicating that US reduced the Ara h 1 content of peanut sprouts, consistent with the ELISA results. The expression of the Ara h 1 gene in peanut seeds was 173.92 ± 26.37. In the BK control group, it decreased to 0.49 ± 0.17 on the fourth day and increased slightly to 0.75 ± 0.09 on the fifth day. In the US group, it decreased to 1.37 ± 0.28 on the first day, dropped sharply to 0.00 on the third day, and increased slightly to 0.04 ± 0.01 on the fourth and fifth days. Protein structure results showed that the α-helix structure of Ara h 1 decreased after US, whereas the content of β-fold structures increased. The surface hydrophobicity decreased, and the secondary and tertiary structures of Ara h 1 were loose.

Contents Summary I. Introduction II. The membranes of the nuclear envelope III. Functions of the nuclear envelope IV. Proteins associated with the nuclear envelope V. New tools for studying the nuclear envelope VI. Conclusions and future prospects Acknowledgements References Summary The nuclear envelope (NE) is one of the least characterized cellular structures in plant cells. In particular, knowledge of its dynamic behaviour during the cell cycle and of its protein composition is limited. This review summarizes current views on the plant NE and highlights fundamental differences with other organisms. We also introduce the power of new technology available to investigate the NE and how this has already begun to revolutionize our knowledge of the biology of the plant NE.

The characterisation of proteome and peptidome of adolescent mothers’ breast milk brings important information to both mother’s and infant’s health; however, it has not been investigated. Bioactive peptides derived from milk proteins have numerous functions. The bioactivity of breast milk peptides includes anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities and regulation of gastrointestinal function. We aimed to characterise the proteome and peptidome of mature breast milk of adolescent mothers and investigate whether it is affected by lactational period. We used a combination of electrophoretic and nano-scale LC-quadrupole time-of-flight MS/MS (nLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) techniques and bioinformatics to explore the proteome of human skimmed milk expressed by lactating adolescents in two groups according to postpartum period (up to 3 and over 5 weeks postpartum). This is the first study that analysed the proteome of adolescent mothers’ breast milk produced during two periods of lactation using 1D-electrophoresis combined with nLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis. Our results showed that the protein composition of adolescent milk varies independently of lactation stage and showed high inter-individual variation. A total of 424 proteins were identified in skimmed milk, of which 137 proteins were common to both groups. Most of the peptides found in adolescents’ breast milk were not derived from major proteins in milk. Association maps showed several interactions between groups of peptides that pointed to the relevance of breast milk peptides to neonatal defensive system.

Objective: To develop clinical tools assessing the refluxogenic potential of foods and beverages (F&B) consumed by patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Methods: European experts of the LPR Study group of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federation of Oto-rhino-laryngological societies were invited to identify the components of Western European F&B that would be associated with the development of LPR. Based on the list generated by experts, four authors conducted a systematic review to identify the F&B involved in the development of esophageal sphincter and motility dysfunctions, both mechanisms involved in the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease and LPR. Regarding the F&B components and the characteristics identified as important in the development of reflux, experts developed three rational scores for the assessment of the refluxogenic potential of F&B, a dish, or the overall diet of the patient. Results: Twenty-six European experts participated to the study and identified the following components of F&B as important in the development of LPR: pH; lipid, carbohydrate, protein composition; fiber composition of vegetables; alcohol degree; caffeine/theine composition; and high osmolality of beverage. A total of 72 relevant studies have contributed to identifying the Western European F&B that are highly susceptible to be involved in the development of reflux. The F&B characteristics were considered for developing a Refluxogenic Diet Score (REDS), allowing a categorization of F&B into five categories ranging from 1 (low refluxogenic F&B) to 5 (high refluxogenic F&B). From REDS, experts developed the Refluxogenic Score of a Dish (RESDI) and the Global Refluxogenic Diet Score (GRES), which allow the assessment of the refluxogenic potential of dish and the overall diet of the LPR patient, respectively. Conclusion: REDS, RESDI and GRES are proposed as objective scores for assessing the refluxogenic potential of F&B composing a dish or the overall diet of LPR patients. Future studies are needed to study the correlation between these scores and the development of LPR according to impedance–pH study.

Peritoneal protein loss (PPL) through peritoneal effluent has been a well-recognized detrimental result of peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment since its inception. Investigation has focused mainly on PPL quantitative and qualitative determinations and evaluation of its prognostic value.A comprehensive review of the pathophysiology of PPL (3-pore model revisited), methods of quantification, dialysate protein composition, and impact on clinical outcomes is presented herein. The author summarizes a brief analysis of associated cardiovascular disease and nutritional consequences, exploring the controversial cause-effect on mortality and technique failure.Therapeutic modalities aiming to reduce PPL (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors [ACEI]s and vitamin D therapies) were explored, although it is unclear whether PPL represents a valid therapeutic target or, on the other hand, is solely a manifestation of endothelial dysfunction.

Background and objectives: Despite the strong influence of proteins on quality, no research has been performed to determine the association between protein composition and quality improvements of durum wheat produced in North Dakota (ND). This research objected to identify improvements of quality traits and determine its association with variations in protein composition using 32 durum genotypes released between 1956 and 2013 in ND. Findings: Certain durum quality parameters, such as kernel weight, mixing properties, and pasta‐making characteristics, improved over the last 50 years of durum breeding. Total protein content showed nonsignificant variation; however, protein composition parameters varied significantly. Specifically, SDS extractable LMW polymeric proteins and gliadins decreased while unextractable polymeric proteins increased. These changes in protein composition parameters were significantly correlated with dough and pasta cooking quality traits. Conclusions: Enhancement of protein composition is primarily responsible for the improvement of mixing quality and cooked pasta firmness seen in durum cultivars released over the last 50 years. Significance and novelty: These findings demonstrate that genetic advancement of mixing and pasta quality traits can be attained by segregation of genotypes based on protein composition in durum wheat breeding.

Mammalian hairs are internally patterned from both a morphological and proteomic perspective to exhibit specific functional traits, including curvature, which is important for coat structure affecting thermo-insulation. Most functional traits in mammalian coats are complex emergent phenomena associated with single-fibre properties that are themselves multi-variate and poorly understood. Here we compare hair curvature, ultrastructure, microstructure, protein composition and felting (a functional attribute) between fibres from natural straight-wool mutants of domestic sheep (felting lustre-mutant sheep), their wild-type relatives and also with a straight-haired semi-lustrous breed, English Leicester. Proteomic and structural results confirmed that the straight lustre mutant fibres had a normal cuticle and the same cortical protein and ultrastructural building blocks as wild-type fibres, but differed from equivalent fibres from wild-type relatives and English Leicester in layout and relative proportions. While curved wild-type fibres had bilaterally arranged orthocortex and paracortex, and English Leicester fibres had a scatter of paracortex on a background of orthocortex, lustre mutant fibres typically had a complete or partial ring of orthocortex surrounding a paracortex core, and sometimes a central orthocortex (similar to straight human and goat hairs). Lustre mutant fibres also had a reduced abundance of some high glycine-tyrosine proteins, normally associated with the orthocortex, with a possible relationship between the protein expression of the KAP8 and KAP16 protein families and fibre felting properties. We conclude that through control of the internal fibre patterning, multiple-solutions to hair curvature are possible, and variation may affect mechanical phenotype differently. Felting lustre mutant sheep will be a useful tool for discriminating cause and effect from non-causative correlation in mammalian fibre development.

Ovotransferrin (OVT) is the main protein component of egg white responsible for initial gelation due to its high thermal susceptibility. Co-aggregation of lysozyme (LYZ) is involved in OVT aggregate formation at low temperatures during pasteurization. Undesirable formation of aggregates limits the degree of thermal processing that can be applied to egg white products. However, the characteristics of co-aggregates of OVT and LYZ have not been elucidated. Here, we determined the thermal co-aggregation process of OVT and LYZ in terms of protein composition, structure, intermolecular forces, and morphology. The amount of LYZ involved in co-aggregates was dependent on the amount of aggregated OVT regardless of the mixing ratio. Native LYZ had the capability of precipitating soluble OVT aggregates by non-covalent association. The co-aggregates of OVT and LYZ formed colloidal particles with a large network, which was not observed in systems consisting of either protein alone. The hierarchical co-aggregation of OVT and LYZ started from the aggregation of OVT involving LYZ non-covalently, which suppresses electrostatic repulsion between soluble OVT aggregates, followed by the growth of insoluble aggregates by disulfide bond crosslinkage between the soluble aggregates. These results provide information regarding efficient pasteurization and thermal processing of hen egg white.

To determine the protein profile of rabbit meat, the protein composition in meat of rabbits with different breeds and ages was investigated. In this article, M. Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) samples were obtained from six groups (ten rabbits in each group) of 60 female rabbits (Ira and Sichuan white; 35, 70, and 105 days old). Their nutritional characteristics, amino acid profile, protein quantity, and protein profile were analysed. The results showed that rabbit meat contained high content of essential amino acids, especially for Lys (2.26%). The analysis of amino acid profile in rabbit meat indicated that it varied significantly with rabbit breeds and ages. The proportion of stromal protein to total protein in rabbit meat was significantly influenced by age (p .05), 69 and 35 unique proteins were identified in Ira and Sichuan white, respectively. In conclusion, both breed and age can affect the protein profile of rabbit meat, and the difference in protein profile may be the reason for the quality variation of different rabbit meat samples.Highlights Comparing the differences between two rabbit breeds from the perspective of proteome. Elucidate proteome in rabbit muscle during its growth. The outcome means that a total of 835 proteins were identified from the samples using shotgun proteomics, and the highest number of unique proteins was observed in meat of 35-day-old rabbit.

11 pages; International audience; The byssus fibers of Mytilus mussel species have become an important role model in bioinspired materials research due to their impressive properties (e.g. high toughness, self-healing); however, Mytilids represent only a small subset of all byssus-producing bivalves. Recent studies have revealed that byssus from other species possess completely different protein composition and hierarchical structure. In this regard, Pinna nobilis byssus is especially interesting due to its very different morphology, function and its historical use for weaving lightweight golden fabrics, known as sea silk. P. nobilis byssus was recently discovered to be comprised of globular proteins organized into a helical protein superstructure. In this work, we investigate the relationships between this hierarchical structure and the mechanical properties of P. nobilis byssus threads, including energy dissipation and self-healing capacity. To achieve this, we performed in-depth mechanical characterization, as well as tensile testing coupled with in situ X-ray scattering. Our findings reveal that P. nobilis byssus, like Mytilus, possesses self-healing and energy damping behavior and that the initial elastic behavior of P. nobilis byssus is due to stretching and unraveling of the previously observed helical building blocks comprising the byssus. These findings have biological relevance for understanding the convergent evolution of mussel byssus for different species, and also for the field of bio-inspired materials.

Wheat processing quality is mainly correlated with high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) of grain endosperm. In bread wheat, the number of HMW-GS alleles are limited. However, wheat relative species possess numerous HMW-GS genes. In our previous study, a pair of novel HMW-GS 1Ux3.5+1Uy1.9 was characterized in Aegilops umbellulata. In this work, a novel wheat-Ae. umbellulata addition line, GN05, carrying a pair of 1U chromosome was developed and identified via cytogenetic analysis. Protein composition analysis indicated that GN05 carried HMW-GS of Ae. umbellulata. Accumulation of glutenin macropolymer (GMP) showed that GN05 had a much higher GMP content than the recurrent parent Chinese Spring. Rheological characteristics were analyzed by mixing test and the dough quality of GN05 was significantly improved compared to Chinese Spring. The results presented here may provide a valuable resource for the improvement of bread wheat quality.

Bread wheat is the primary bread crop in the majority of countries in the world. The most important product that is manufactured from its grain and flour is yeast bread. In order to obtain an excellent bread, grain with high physical properties is needed for flour and dough. The Russian spring wheat cultivar Saratovskaya 29 is characterized by its exclusively high physical properties of flour and dough. The purpose of this work was to identify the chromosomes carrying the main loci for these traits in Saratovskaya 29 and to map them using recombinant substitution lines genotyped with molecular markers. A set of inter-varietal substitution lines Saratovskaya 29 (Yanetzkis Probat) was used to identify the “critical” chromosomes. The donor of individual chromosomes is a spring cultivar with average dough strength and tenacity. Substitution of 1D and 4D*7A chromosomes in the genetic background of Saratovskaya 29 resulted in a significant decrease in the physical properties of the dough. Such a deterioration in the case of 1D chromosome might be related to the variability of gluten protein composition. With the help of recombinant substitution double haploid lines obtained from a Saratovskaya 29 (Yanetzkis Probat 4D*7A) substitution line the region on the 4D chromosome was revealed in the strong-flour cultivar Saratovskaya 29, with the microsatellite locus Xgwm0165 to be associated with the unique physical properties of flour and dough. The detected locus is not related to the composition gluten proteins. These locus may be recommended to breeders for the selection of strong-flour cultivars. Additionally, a QTL associated with vitreousness of grain was mapped in the short arm of chromosome 7A.

Highlights • A validated method for quantitative protein profiling in adenovirus-based vaccines. • 14 Adenovirus proteins baseline separated within 17 min by RP-UPLC. • Adenovirus-based samples directly injected, needing no sample pretreatment. • The method can detect and quantify protein degradants., A method for the quantitative determination of the protein composition of adenovirus-vector based vaccines was developed. The final method used RP-UPLC with UV absorbance detection, a C4 column (300 Å, 1.7 μm, 2.1 × 150 mm), and a water- acetonitrile (ACN) gradient containing trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as ion-pairing agent. The chromatographic resolution between the various adenovirus proteins was optimized by studying the effect of the TFA concentration and the column temperature, applying a full factorial design of experiments. A reproducible baseline separation of all relevant adenovirus proteins could be achieved within 17 min run time. Samples containing adenovirus particles could be directly injected into the UPLC system without sample pretreatment. The viruses reproducibly dissociate into proteins in the UPLC system upon contact with the mobile phase containing ACN. The new RP-UPLC method was successfully validated for protein profiling and relative quantification of proteins in vaccine products based on adenovirus vector types 26 and 35. The intermediate precision of the relative peak areas of all proteins was between 1% and 14% RSD, except for the peak assigned to protein V (26% RSD). The method proved to be stability indicating with respect to thermal and oxidation stress of the adenovirus-vector based vaccine and was successfully implemented for the characterization of adenovirus-based products.

Since the choice of malting varieties, as well as the impact of malting on protein composition and other malt quality parameters, are fundamental for beer production, there was a need to focus on t...

Gluten proteins of certain cereals (wheat, rye and barley) can trigger hypersensitivity reactions. In special dietary products for people intolerant to gluten, their amount must not exceed the regulatory threshold levels. The source of gluten can influence gluten quantitation due to variability in protein profile of grain cultivars and species. A proper reference material is crucial for accurate measurement of gluten and evaluating assay performance. It should be as representative of the commodity as possible. In this study, protein content and composition of a set of 23 common wheat cultivars grown around the world were determined. According to qualitative and quantitative selection criteria, cultivars that possessed a typical gluten composition were identified. Five cultivars were selected for subsequent experiments to confirm their suitability as a basis for reference material production.