DEVELOPMENT OF CHEMICALLY MUTAGENIZED SOYBEAN POPULATIONS FOR IMPROVING SOYBEAN SEED OIL CONTENT AND FORWARD AND REVERSE GENETICS SCREENING

Soybeans are among seeds the common plant foods that contains high protein contents and high oil. The protein provides about 35 to 38 percent of the seeds calories compared to around 20 to 30 percent in other legumes and many animal products. The quality of soy protein is notable and approaches the quality of meat and milk. Unlike many other good sources of protein, soybeans are low in saturated fat and are cholesterol-free. Its proteins provide all the important amino acids, most the amounts needed by humans (NSRL, 2010). As the most consumed vegetable oil in the world, soybean oil has been used substantially in the food industry (Soystats, 2010). Its utilization is determined by its fatty acid composition, with commodity soybean oil typically 13% palmatic acid (16:0), 4% stearic acid (18:0), 20% oleic acid (18:1), 55% linoleic acid (18:2), and 8% linolenic acid (18:3). The change of fatty acid profiles to improve soybean oil quality has been a long time goal of many researchers throughout the world. Biodiesel is an up and coming trend in energy production. Breeding effort can be undertaken in order to produce a higher energy profile soybean oil. Using ethyl-methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis effects on DNA, significant changes to the genes and gene network underlying the protein and oil profile can be achieved. These changes are hard to accomplish using standard breeding techniques. In addition, high amount of linolenic and stearic acid are very important for fuel and biodiesel production, but are not good for food production due to the fact that such oil is oxidized easily and the food goes rancid quickly. However, soybean oil with elevated amount of oleic acid is desirable for food, because this monounsaturated fatty acid improves the nutrition and oxidative stability of soybean oil compared to other oils. In order to improve the quality of soybean oil and processed foods, chemically mutagenized soybeans have been developed in this project. Seeds harvested from individual M3 and M4 plants (from 2 successive years 2012 and 2013) were analyzed for protein content, oil composition, and content. Moreover, seven phenotypic traits including oil analysis (stearic, palmitic, oleic, linolenic and linoleic), seed protein content, weight of the seeds (High yield), seeds color, stem length, germination rates, and branch architecture were collected and analyzed in this project of soybean `Forrest\u27 mutagenized population. The result of this research showed that there were 25 significantly different lines (p\u3c 0.05) compare to the wild type, which is useful for developing mutants with altered oil and fatty acid compositions in soybean

Immunological Investigation for the Presence of Lunasin, a Chemopreventive Soybean Peptide, in the Seeds of Diverse Plants

Lunasin, a 44 amino acid soybean bioactive peptide, exhibits anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. All soybean varieties that have been examined contain lunasin. It has also been reported in a few other plant species including amaranth, black nightshade, wheat, barley, rye, and triticale. Interestingly, detailed searches of transcriptome and DNA sequence databases of cereals failed to identify lunasin-coding sequences, raising questions about the authenticity of lunasin in cereals. To clarify the presence or absence of lunasin in cereals and other plant species, an immunological investigation was conducted utilizing polyclonal antibodies raised against the first 20 amino acid N-terminal peptide (SKW­QHQ­QDS­CRK­QLQ­GVN­LT) and a 15 amino acid C-terminal peptide (CEK­HIM­EKI­QGR­GDD) of lunasin. Protein blot analyses revealed the presence of proteins from several plants that reacted against the lunasin N-terminal peptide antibodies. However, the same proteins failed to react against the lunasin C-terminal peptide antibodies. These results demonstrate that peptides identical to soybean lunasin are absent in seeds of diverse plants examined in this study

Classical Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) Symbionts, Sinorhizobium fredii USDA191 and Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA110, Reveal Contrasting Symbiotic Phenotype on Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp)

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh) is cultivated widely in semiarid agricultural regions in over 90 countries around the world. This important legume can enter into symbiotic associations with a wide range of rhizobia including Bradyrhizobium and fast-growing rhizobia. In comparison with other major legumes such as soybean and common bean, only limited information is available on the symbiotic interaction of pigeon pea with rhizobia. In this study, we investigated the ability of two classical soybean symbionts—S. fredii USDA191 and B. diazoefficiens USDA110—and their type 3 secretion system (T3SS) mutants, to nodulate pigeon pea. Both S. fredii USDA191 and a T3SS mutant S. fredii RCB26 formed nitrogen-fixing nodules on pigeon pea. Inoculation of pigeon pea roots with B. diazoefficiens USDA110 and B. diazoefficiens Δ136 (a T3SS mutant) resulted in the formation of Fix− and Fix+ nodules, respectively. Light and transmission electron microscopy of Fix- nodules initiated by B. diazoefficiens USDA110 revealed the complete absence of rhizobia within these nodules. In contrast, Fix+ nodules formed by B. diazoefficiens Δ136 revealed a central region that was completely filled with rhizobia. Ultrastructural investigation revealed the presence of numerous bacteroids surrounded by peribacteroid membranes in the infected cells. Analysis of nodule proteins by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that leghemoglobin was absent in B. diazoefficiens USDA110 nodules, while it was abundantly present in B. diazoefficiens Δ136 nodules. Results of competitive nodulation assays indicated that B. diazoefficiens Δ136 had greater competitiveness for nodulation on pigeon pea than did the wild type strain. Our results suggest that this T3SS mutant of B. diazoefficiens, due to its greater competitiveness and ability to form Fix+ nodules, could be exploited as a potential inoculant to boost pigeon pea productivity

Biochemical and Anatomical Investigation of Sesbania herbacea (Mill.) McVaugh Nodules Grown under Flooded and Non-Flooded Conditions

Sesbania herbacea, a native North American fast-growing legume, thrives in wet and waterlogged conditions. This legume enters into symbiotic association with rhizobia, resulting in the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots. A flooding-induced anaerobic environment imposes a challenge for the survival of rhizobia and negatively impacts nodulation. Very little information is available on how S. herbacea is able to thrive and efficiently fix N2 in flooded conditions. In this study, we found that Sesbania plants grown under flooded conditions were significantly taller, produced more biomass, and formed more nodules when compared to plants grown on dry land. Transmission electron microscopy of Sesbania nodules revealed bacteroids from flooded nodules contained prominent polyhydroxybutyrate crystals, which were absent in non-flooded nodules. Gas and ion chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of nodule metabolites revealed a marked decrease in asparagine and an increase in the levels of gamma aminobutyric acid in flooded nodules. 2-D gel electrophoresis of nodule bacteroid proteins revealed flooding-induced changes in their protein profiles. Several of the bacteroid proteins that were prominent in flooded nodules were identified by mass spectrometry to be members of the ABC transporter family. The activities of several key enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism was altered in Sesbania flooded nodules. Aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT), an enzyme with a vital role in the assimilation of reduced nitrogen, was dramatically elevated in flooded nodules. The results of our study highlight the potential of S. herbacea as a green manure and sheds light on the morphological, structural, and biochemical adaptations that enable S. herbacea to thrive and efficiently fix N2 in flooded conditions

Introgression of Leginsulin, a Cysteine-Rich Protein, and High-Protein Trait from an Asian Soybean Plant Introduction Genotype into a North American Experimental Soybean Line

Soybean is an important protein source for both humans and animals. However, soybean proteins are relatively poor in the sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine and methionine. Improving the content of endogenous proteins rich in sulfur-containing amino acids could enhance the nutritive value of soybean meal. Leginsulin, a cysteine-rich peptide, predominantly accumulates in Asian soybean accessions but not in most North American cultivars. By screening diverse soybean accessions from the USDA Soybean Germplasm Collection, we were able to identify one plant introduction, PI 427138, as a high-protein line with relatively high amounts of both elemental sulfur and leginsulin. We introgressed these desirable traits from PI 427138 into an experimental line with the aim of improving the overall protein content and quality of seed proteins. Biochemical characterization of inbred progenies from the cross of LD00-3309 with PI 427138 grown at six locations revealed stable ingression of high protein, high elemental sulfur, and high leginsulin accumulation. Comparison of soybean seed proteins resolved by high-resolution 2-D gel electrophoresis in combination with Delta2D image analysis software revealed preferential accumulation of a few glycinin subunits contributed to the increased protein content in the introgressed lines. Amino acid analysis revealed that even though the leginsulin introgressed lines had higher protein, leginsulin, and elemental sulfur, the overall concentration of sulfur-containing amino acids was not significantly altered when compared with the parental lines. The experimental soybean lines developed during this study (Leg-3, Leg-7, and Leg-8) lack A5, A4, and B3 glycinin subunits and could be utilized in breeding programs to develop high-quality tofu cultivars

Manufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics and its recovery of carbon fiber: A review

Polymer matrix composites are excellent materials for a variety of industrial applications. They have superior mechanical, thermal and electrical properties, making them preferable to traditional materials such as metal. To make polymer matrix composite materials, thermosetting, elastomers and thermoplastic polymers are mainly the three types of polymers that can be utilized as matrices. In comparison to thermosetting and elastomers polymers, carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP), is the subject of this research, are gaining popularity in many industrial sectors due to its recyclability, simplicity of processing, good characteristics, flexibility, and less production time. This review covers conventional and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques of CFRTP. Moreover, the potential and existing of CFRTP's application as well as the techniques of carbon fiber recovery and recycling methods of such materials were also examined. Overall, this study considers the research and development on manufacturing CFRTP and recycling techniques of polymer composites to recover carbon fiber materials