title: Neoculin as a new taste-modifying protein occurring in the fruit of Curculigo latifolia.
abstract: A unique taste-modifying activity that converts the sense of sourness to the sense of sweetness occurs in the fruit of the plant Curculigo latifolia, intrinsic to West Malaysia. The active component, known as curculin, is a protein consisting of two identical subunits. We have found a new taste-modifying protein, named neoculin, of the same origin. Both chemical analysis and cDNA cloning characterized neoculin as a heterodimeric protein consisting of an acidic, glycosylated subunit of 113 amino acid residues and a basic subunit that is the monomeric curculin itself.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biological Function, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukako
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shirasuka
authors.forename: Ken-Ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Tomiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asakura
authors.forename: Haruyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hata
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abo
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sorimachi
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D031408:Curculigo / Q000737:chemistry*; D019281:Dimerization; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D006031:Glycosylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; C511659:neoculin protein, Curculigo latifolia