Protein profiles are generated using a bioanalyser and automated microfluidic electrophoresis system to provide analyses of protein extracts from soybeans in 45 minutes or less
Agilent Technologies Europe has announced a method for rapidly characterising soybean quality using expressed protein profiles. These protein profiles are generated using the Agilent 2100 bioanalyser with the Protein 200 Plus LabChip kit, which provides precise analyses of protein extracts from soybeans in 45 minutes or less.
B-conglycinin (7S) and glycininin (11S) are the primary seed storage proteins in soybean, comprising about 70% of total storage proteins.
This gives them critical economic importance. The relative levels of these two proteins significantly impact the nutrition, taste and texture of food products derived from soybeans.
For this reason, soybean lines that preferentially express these proteins continue to be an active target in improving soybean quality.
Both conglycinin and glycininin are complex aggregates of smaller protein subunits.
The Agilent 2100 bioanalyser with Protein 200 LabChip, an automated microfluidic electrophoresis system, is well suited to analyse proteins in the applicable subunit size range.
Samples of soy protein are loaded, separated and analysed for relative protein composition in less than 45 minutes.
The level of accuracy and precision in determining protein size and concentration are sufficiently good to characterise experimental seedlines based solely on these protein profiles, providing a highly effective means for characterizing new transgenic seedlines.
This method is part of Agilent's recently announced AgBiotech program, which is developing a full range of agriculture-specific products and applications based on Agilent's existing microarray and microfluidics technologies.
Agilent has also introduced a new microarray for Magnaporthe grisea (rice blast fungus) and an updated version of its Arabidopsis microarray kit.
Further information is available by requesting Agilent application note 'Characterisation of transgenic soybean seedlines by protein expression with the Agilent 2100 bioanalyser', Agilent publication 5988-9441EN, available free from any Agilent sales office or its website.
