title: Biochemical and functional characterization of an albumin protein belonging to the hemopexin superfamily from Lens culinaris seeds.
abstract: The present paper reports the purification and biochemical characterization of an albumin identified in mature lentil seeds with high sequence similarity to pea PA2. These proteins are found in many edible seeds and are considered potentially detrimental for human health due to the potential allergenicity and lectin-like activity. Thus, the description of their possible presence in food and the assessment of the molecular properties are relevant. The M(r), pI, and N-terminal sequence of this protein have been determined. The work included the study of (i) the binding properties to hemine to assess the presence of hemopexin structural domains and (ii) the binding properties of the protein to thiamin. In addition, the structural changes induced by heating have been evaluated by means of spectroscopic techniques. Denaturation temperature has also been determined. The present work provides new insights about the structural molecular features and the ligand-binding properties and dynamics of this kind of seed albumin.
authors.affiliation: Department of AgriFood Molecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy. alessio.scarafoni@unimi.it
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scarafoni
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gualtieri
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbiroli
authors.forename: Aristodemo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carpen
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duranti
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000485:Allergens; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004355:Drug Stability; D006466:Hemopexin / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D027806:Lens Plant / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013831:Thiamine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D000485:Allergens; D010940:Plant Proteins; D006466:Hemopexin; D013831:Thiamine