Cloning and sequencing of a cDNA encoding a heat-stable sweet protein, mabinlin II

Mo-CBP3, a 2S albumin from Moringa oleifera, is a complex mixture of isoforms that arise from different post-translational modifications

Mo-CBP₃ is a chitin-binding 2S albumin from Moringa oleifera. This seed storage protein is resistant to thermal denaturation and shows biological activities that might be of practical use, such as antifungal properties against Candida sp., a pathogen that causes candidiasis, and against Fusarium solani, a soil fungus that can cause diseases in plants and humans. Previous work has demonstrated that Mo-CBP₃ is a mixture of isoforms encoded by members of a small multigene family. Mature Mo-CBP3 is a small protein (∼14 kDa), constituted by a small chain of approximately 4 kDa and a large chain of 8 kDa, which are held together by disulfide bridges. However, a more comprehensive picture on the spectrum of Mo-CBP₃ isoforms which are found in mature seeds, is still lacking. In this work, genomic DNA fragments were obtained from M. oleifera leaves, cloned and completely sequenced, thus revealing new genes encoding Mo-CBP₃. Moreover, mass spectrometry analysis showed that the mature protein is a complex mixture of isoforms with a remarkable number of molecular mass variants. Using computational predictions and calculations, most (∼86%) of the experimentally determined masses were assigned to amino acid sequences deduced from DNA fragments. The results suggested that the complex mixture of Mo-CBP₃ isoforms originates from proteins encoded by closely related genes, whose products undergo different combinations of distinct post-translational modifications, including cleavage at the N- and C-terminal ends of both subunits, cyclization of N-terminal Gln, as well as Pro hydroxylation, Ser/Thr phosphorylation, and Met oxidation.

Mo-CBP3, an antifungal chitin-binding protein from Moringa oleifera seeds, is a member of the 2S albumin family

Mo-CBP3 is a chitin-binding protein from M. oleifera seeds that inhibits the germination and mycelial growth of phytopathogenic fungi. This protein is highly thermostable and resistant to pH changes, and therefore may be useful in the development of new antifungal drugs. However, the relationship of MoCBP3 with the known families of carbohydrate-binding domains has not been established. In the present study, full-length cDNAs encoding 4 isoforms of Mo-CBP3 (Mo-CBP3-1, Mo-CBP3-2, Mo-CBP3-3 and Mo-CBP3-4) were cloned from developing seeds. The polypeptides encoded by the Mo-CBP3 cDNAs were predicted to contain 160 (Mo-CBP3-3) and 163 amino acid residues (Mo-CBP3-1, Mo-CBP3-2 and Mo-CBP3-4) with a signal peptide of 20-residues at the N-terminal region. A comparative analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that Mo-CBP3 is a typical member of the 2S albumin family, as shown by the presence of an eight-cysteine motif, which is a characteristic feature of the prolamin superfamily. Furthermore, mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that Mo-CBP3 is a mixture of isoforms that correspond to different mRNA products. The identification of Mo-CBP3 as a genuine member of the 2S albumin family reinforces the hypothesis that these seed storage proteins are involved in plant defense. Moreover, the chitin-binding ability of Mo-CBP3 reveals a novel functionality for a typical 2S albumin.

Recombinant expressions of sweet plant protein mabinlin II in Escherichia coli and food-grade Lactococcus lactis

Sweet plant proteins, which are safe, natural, low-calorie sweeteners, may be suitable replacements for sugars in the food and beverage industries. Mabinlin II, a sweet plant protein, shows the most pronounced heat stability and acid resistance of any of the six known types of plant sweet proteins. However, mabinlin II is difficult to extract from the Capparis masaikai plant, which is itself becoming increasingly scarce. This limits the use of naturally acquired mabinlin II. In this study, recombinant mabinlin II proteins were expressed and purified in Escherichia coli and in food-grade Lactococcus lactis. Recombinant mabinlin II proteins MBL-BH (containing the B-chains of mabinlin II downstream fused with His-tag) and MBL-ABH (containing the A- and B-chains of mabinlin II downstream fused with His-tag) were expressed in E. coli in the form of inclusion bodies. They were then purified and renatured. The refolded MBL-BH was found to be 100 times sweeter than sucrose by weight, but it was not heat-stable. Refolded MBL-ABH was neither sweet nor heat-stable. Recombinant mabinlin II proteins were secreted and expressed intracellularly in food-grade L. lactis, in which the concentrated cell samples and culture medium samples were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting analysis with anti-mabinlin II polyclonal antibody. This study demonstrated that the single B chain of mabinlin II has a sweet taste. The recombinant mabinlin II proteins have been successfully expressed in food-grade L. lactis, which is a crucial step in the production of mabinlin II through microorganism expression systems.

Enhancement of oral moisture using tablets containing extract of Capparis masaikai Levl

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study was performed to examine the effects of tablets containing an extract of Capparis masaikai Levl. (M-tablets) on enhancing oral moisture.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The moistening effect of M-tablets was examined in 21 healthy subjects aged 25.1+/-2.4 (mean+/-S.D.) years in comparison with control tablets. After sucking tablets, the oral moisture was measured using a saliva wetness tester and a moisture checker. To evaluate the effects of the M-tablets on oral conditions, additional 50 subjects aged 30.6+/-7.5 years were examined. The subjects recorded changes in refreshment, oral moisture, ease in speaking, and taste of water using a visual analog scale (VAS).

RESULTS

The L-SALIVO value of the M-tablet increased significantly from 1.83+/-0.17 (mean+/-S.E.M.) at baseline to 3.02+/-0.21 at 15 min (P<0.01). The Mucus((R)) value of the M-tablet also increased from 37.50+/-0.22 at baseline to 38.30+/-0.26 at 15 min (P<0.01). The VAS value for oral moisture increased significantly from 47.4+/-2.0 to 69.6+/-2.2 after taking the M-tablet (P<0.01). The VAS value for taste of water also increased from 50.0+/-1.1 to 66.7+/-3.2 (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that M-tablets are useful for enhancing oral moisture, which leads to improvement of oral conditions.

Developments in biotechnological production of sweet proteins

Most proteins are tasteless and flavorless, while some proteins elicit a sweet-taste response on the human palate. Six proteins, thaumatin, monellin, mabinlin, brazzein, egg lysozyme, and neoculin (previously considered as curculin) have been identified as sweet-tasting proteins. However, no common features among them have been observed. Herein, recent advances in the research of sweet-tasting proteins and the production of such proteins by biotechnological approaches are reviewed. Information on the structure-sweetness relationship for these proteins would help not only in the clarification of the mechanism of interaction of sweet-tasting proteins with their receptors, but also in the design of more effective low-calorie sweeteners.

Probing the sweet determinants of brazzein: Wild-type brazzein and a tasteless variant, brazzein-ins(R18a-I18b), exhibit different pH-dependent NMR chemical shifts

Brazzein is a small, intensely sweet protein. As a probe of the functional properties of its solvent-exposed loop, two residues (Arg-Ile) were inserted between Leu18 and Ala19 of brazzein. Psychophysical testing demonstrated that this mutant is totally tasteless. NMR chemical shift mapping of differences between this mutant and brazzein indicated that residues affected by the insertion are localized to the mutated loop, the region of the single alpha-helix, and around the Cys16-Cys37 disulfide bond. Residues unaffected by this mutation included those near the C-terminus and in the loop connecting the alpha-helix and the second beta-strand. In particular, several residues of brazzein previously shown to be essential for its sweetness (His31, Arg33, Glu41, Arg43, Asp50, and Tyr54) exhibited negligible chemical shift changes. Moreover, the pH dependence of the chemical shifts of His31, Glu41, Asp50, and Tyr54 were unaltered by the insertion. The insertion led to large chemical shift and pKa perturbation of Glu36, a residue shown previously to be important for brazzein's sweetness. These results serve to refine the known sweetness determinants of brazzein and lend further support to the idea that the protein interacts with a sweet-taste receptor through a multi-site interaction mechanism, as has been postulated for brazzein and other sweet proteins (monellin and thaumatin).

Chemical synthesis and characterization of the sweet protein mabinlin II

The sweet protein mabinlin II isolated from the seeds of Capparis masaikai consists of the A chain with 33 amino acid residues and the B chain composed of 72 residues. The B chain contains two intramolecular disulfide bonds and is connected to the A chain through two intermolecular disulfide bridges. The A chain was synthesized by the stepwise fluoren-9-ylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) solid-phase method in a yield of 5.9%, while the B chain was synthesized by a combination of the stepwise Fmoc solid-phase method and fragment condensation in a yield of 6.0%. Disulfide formation and combination of the A and B chains followed by purification by ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) gave mabinlin II in a yield of 47.4%. The characterization of the synthetic mabinlin II by HPLC, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, amino acid analysis, and disulfide bond determination fully supported the expected structure. A 0.1% solution of the synthetic mabinlin II had an astringent-sweet taste.