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Targeting Cysteine Thiols for in Vitro Site-specific Glycosylation of Recombinant Proteins
Published on: October 4, 2017
Blends of cysteine-containing proteins
Justin R Barone1, Kirsten Dangaran, Walter F Schmidt
1Environmental Management and By-Products Utilization Laboratory and Dairy Processing and Products Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA. baronej@ba.ars.usda.gov
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
|July 20, 2006
Summary
Agricultural proteins like gluten and lactalbumin, rich in cysteine, form novel materials when blended. These protein blends exhibit enhanced toughness and strength, with properties influenced by the specific protein combinations and their unique structures.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Proteins from agricultural sources, including keratin, lactalbumin, and gluten, are rich in cysteine.
- Cysteine facilitates the formation of disulfide bonds, influencing protein structure and material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the properties of blends created from cysteine-containing agricultural proteins.
- To understand how different protein combinations affect material characteristics such as toughness, strength, and molecular transport.
Main Methods:
- Protein blending (keratin, lactalbumin, gluten).
- Tensile testing to measure strain to break (toughness) and modulus.
- Birefringence analysis to assess protein structure.
- Permeability studies for small molecule transport.
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for microstructural analysis.
Main Results:
- Wheat gluten addition enhances blend toughness (strain to break).
- Lactalbumin addition increases blend modulus and strength.
- Birefringence indicates unique structural features in lactalbumin.
- SEM reveals blend microstructures reflecting individual protein contributions.
- Protein blends show varied small molecule permeability, often dominated by one component.
Conclusions:
- Cysteine-containing agricultural proteins can be blended to create materials with tunable properties.
- The mechanical and structural characteristics of protein blends are dependent on the constituent proteins.
- Understanding blend morphology and composition is key to predicting material performance and transport properties.
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