Immunochemical reactivity of soybean beta-Conglycinin Subunits.

PETRUCCELLI, SILVANA;; CHIRDO, FERNANDO GABRIEL; AÑÓN, MARIA CRISTINA

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL IMMUNOLOGY

Taylor and Francis

Lugar: Chester, UK; Año: 2005 vol. 16 p. 17 - 28

0954-0105

The immunochemical reactivity of two polyclonal sera raised against soybean purified αα´ and β subunits was analysed. We show that anti-αα´ serum mainly reacts with αα´ subunits and β´ subunit, but it does not recognize β subunit. In addition, β subunit is not able to compete with αα´ subunit for anti-αα´ serum recognition sites; therefore the main immunogenic region of αα´ subunits is the extension region. Both anti-αα´ and anti-β sera were able to recognize E. coli produced α subunit, consequently glycosylation is apparently not required for antigen-antibody interaction. Anti-β subunit serum shows strong reactivity against soybean produced β-subunit and recombinant α subunit, while it shows weak recognition of soybean purified αα´ subunits. A mutant of α subunit with the N terminal β barrel region and C terminal α helices deleted, failed to be recognized by anti-β serum. For that reason although N and C terminal domains are structurally equivalent, their immunochemical reactivity is different.