PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Proteins in one of the world's main biodiesel plants have been mapped -- and it does not look good

2013-10-25
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Birgitte Svennevig
birs@sdu.dk
University of Southern Denmark
Proteins in one of the world's main biodiesel plants have been mapped -- and it does not look good

The castor oil plant produces some very fatty beans from which oil is refined into biodiesel in several countries, eg. Brazil. Now a team of researchers from the University of Southern Denmark along with researchers from Brazil have succeeded in mapping proteins of the bean, and thus it may now be possible to alter the bean's structure in order to get even more out of the bean than today. The researcher's work however shows that this may not be an easy task.

Countries like Brazil and India grow large quantities of the castor oil beans, which can be refined into bio-diesel. Unfortunately, the beans contain allergens and also the extremely potent poison ricin, and therefore the bean pulp after extraction of the oil cannot be used for animal feed. The animals might become sick or even die from eating castor pulp.

"Therefore we are interested in finding out if it in some way could be possible to eliminate the allergenic proteins and the ricin from the beans, so that the pulp can be used for animal feed", explains professor Peter Roepstorff, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of Southern Denmark.

The first step towards this has now been taken. Roepstorff and a team of Danish/Brazilian colleagues have used proteomics to map 1875 castor bean proteins.

"Now we know where the proteins are, and we know when during bean development they are produced. Especially the protein ricin and the allergen 2S Albumin are interesting in this context. Unfortunately our research shows that it does not seem to be easy to get rid of them", says Peter Roepstorff.

Both ricin and the allergen 2S Albumin are only present in low amounts in the early development stages of the bean. But as the beans mature, the content of ricin and 2S Albumin increases.

"Unfortunately, the mature beans also have the highest oil content and therefore an oil producer will not harvest the beans before they are fully mature. The price of optimizing the oil production is that you also get a toxic and allergenic pulp that cannot be used for animal feed", explains Peter Roepstorff.

The researchers at University of Southern Denmark work with identifying the bean's proteins and this now makes it possible for other researchers to try and manipulate the proteins in order to remove the toxic and allergenic substances. One option may be to eliminate the unwanted proteins by plant breeding, another option is to remove them by genetic engineering.



INFORMATION:

About the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis):

An up to 12 m tall tropical plant. In temperate countries like Denmark the plant is grown for its ornamental riches in private gardens, while countries like Brazil and India grow it for its oilrich beans. The beans are very toxic; 2-20 are enough to kill a human. The toxin, called ricin, is twice as powerful as the cobra snake's venom, and there is no antidote. It was ricin that killed a Bulgarian defector in 1978 in London, when the tip of an umbrella delivered a deadly dose of ricin to him. In addition to biodiesel castor oil may also be used to produce nylon, brake fluids and hydraulic fluids.

Professor Peter Roepstorff has worked with protein mass spectrometry for more than 40 years and he is one of the pioneers in analyzing proteins by mass spectrometry and in proteomics.

Journal of Proteome Research, 3 October 2013 E-pub ahead of print: Isotope Labeling-Based Quantitative Proteomics of Developing Seeds of Castor Oil Seed (Ricinus communis L.): Fábio CS Nogueira, Giuseppe Palmisano, Veit Schwämmle, Emanuela L. Soares, Arlete A Soares, Peter Roepstorff, Gilberto B. Domont and Francisco AP Campos.

Journal of Proteome Research, 2012, 11, 3046-3052: Performance of Isobaric and Isotopic Labeling in Quantitative Plant Proteomics: Fábio C. S. Nogueira, Giuseppe Palmisano, Veit Schwämmle, Francisco AP Campos, Martin R. Larsen, Gilberto B. Domont and Peter Roepstorff.

Photo of Castor oil plant: Andreas Früh.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mexico does not love Raymond, NASA sees weaker storm

2013-10-25
Mexico does not love Raymond, NASA sees weaker storm South-central Mexico was inundated with heavy rains from Hurricane Raymond during the week of Oct. 20, and Raymond has finally weakened to a tropical storm and is moving away from the coast. Infrared data from ...

Nano-dwarves turn tumor assassins

2013-10-25
Nano-dwarves turn tumor assassins This news release is available in German. Hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, loss of eye lashes and eye brows, susceptibility to infection – the list of possible side effects ...

Social service barriers delay care among women with abnormal cancer screening

2013-10-25
Social service barriers delay care among women with abnormal cancer screening (Boston) – A recent study performed by researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC), Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), ...

Parents greatly underestimate how often their children are cyberbullied

2013-10-25
Parents greatly underestimate how often their children are cyberbullied 30 percent of children admit to being cyberbullied, 15 percent admit to cyberbullying Washington, DC (October 25, 2013) – Cyberbullying has become a destructive force in many children's ...

Next-gen sequencing identifies genes associated with speech disorder

2013-10-25
Next-gen sequencing identifies genes associated with speech disorder A collaborative team of researchers has used next generation sequencing to identify clinically relevant genetic variants associated with a rare pediatric speech disorder. The findings are published ...

Cold front coming to swallow remnants of Tropical Storm Lorenzo

2013-10-25
Cold front coming to swallow remnants of Tropical Storm Lorenzo Satellite imagery on Oct. 25 showed a cold front approaching the remnants of Tropical Storm Lorenzo in the central Atlantic Ocean. A visible image captured by NOAA's GOES-East satellite image showed ...

Angel or demon: Can a potentially invasive plant bring a positive influence to a region?

2013-10-25
Angel or demon: Can a potentially invasive plant bring a positive influence to a region? Relationship between the bee Braunsapis puangensis and the invasive creeping daisy could be beneficial to crops and biodiversity in Fiji Can invasive species be beneficial for the region? ...

Reading ancient climate from plankton shells

2013-10-25
Reading ancient climate from plankton shells Climate changes from millions of years ago are recorded at daily rate in ancient sea shells, new research shows. A huge X-ray microscope has revealed growth bands in plankton shells that show how shell chemistry records ...

NASA sees Typhoon Lekima stretching out and closing its eye

2013-10-25
NASA sees Typhoon Lekima stretching out and closing its eye NASA's TRMM satellite observed Typhoon Lekima's shrinking eye on Oct. 24, and by the Oct. 25, the eye had shrunk to just 4 nautical miles. TRMM also observed very heavy rainfall occurring around the eyewall ...

Understanding DNA damage

2013-10-25
Understanding DNA damage Modeling how low energy electrons damage DNA may improve radiation therapy WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct. 25, 2013 -- Every day, all day, our DNA gets beaten up by chemicals and radiation -- but remarkably, most of us stay healthy. Now, an ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

[Press-News.org] Proteins in one of the world's main biodiesel plants have been mapped -- and it does not look good