Storage Proteins of Legumes

Because leguminous seeds are of very considerable agricultural importance they have understandably received a great deal of attention. Together with the cereals they provide most of our biochemical and physiological knowledge of seed storage proteins. 

Separation of the leguminous globulins by ultracentrifugation generally reveals two bands with sedimentation coefficients of approximately 11-12S (often termed 11 S) and 7-8 S (often termed 7 S) held to be legumin and vicilin respectively (Table 2.3). In some species (e.g. Glycine) additional proteins (2.2S) are present. 

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Derbyshire, E., Wright, D.J., Boulter, D. (1976). Legumin and vicilin, storage proteins of legume seeds. Phytochemistry, 15, 3-24. 

CARBONARO M, GRANT G, CAPPELLONi M, puszTAi A (2000) Perspectives into factors limiting in vivo digestion of legume proteins antinutritional compormds or storage proteins JAgric Food Chem. 48 742-9. 

Makri, E., Papalamprou, E., Doxastakis, G. (2005). Study of functional properties of seed storage proteins from indigenous European legume crops (lupin, pea, broad bean) in admixture with polysaccharides. Food Hydrocolloids, 19, 583-594. 

Nielsen, S.S., Deshpande, S.S., Hermodson, M.A., Scott, M.P. 1988. Comparative digestibility of legume storage proteins. J Agric Food Chem 36(5) 896-902. 

Pernollet, J.C. J. Mosse. Structure and location of legume and cereal seed storage proteins. Seed Proteins J. Daussant, J. Mosse, J. Vaughan, Eds. 1983 pp. 155—191. 

Ferreira RB, Franco E, Teixeira AR (1999). Calcium- and magnesium-dependent aggregation of legume seed storage proteins. J. Agric. Food Chem., 47 3009-3015. 

In the majority of seeds nitrogen is stored as insoluble protein, although in a limited number of legumes there are extensive stores of nonprotein amino acids (Fowden, 1974 Bell, 1977). During germination it is essential that the two growing areas (root and shoot) have a ready supply of amino acids for protein synthesis. The amino acids are produced by hydrolysis of the storage proteins (see Volume 2) but are rarely transported in the same proportions. 

Golombek, S. Rolletschek, H. Wobus, U. Weber, H. (2001). Control of storage protein accumulation during legume seed development. Journal of Plant Physiology, Vol.158, No.4, pp. 457-464, ISSN 0032-0889... 

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