Proteome Analysis of Pod and Seed Development in the Model Legume Lotus japonicus

Abstract

Legume pods serve important functions during seed development and are themselves sources of food and feed. Compared to seeds, the metabolism and development of pods are not well-defined. The present characterization of pods from the model legume Lotus japonicus, together with the detailed analyses of the pod and seed proteomes in five developmental stages, paves the way for comparative pathway analysis and provides new metabolic information. Proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and tandem-mass spectrometry. These analyses lead to the identification of 604 pod proteins and 965 seed proteins, including 263 proteins distinguishing the pod. The complete data set is publicly available at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/cgi-bin/lotus/db.cgi , where spots in a reference map are linked to experimental data, such as matched peptides, quantification values, and gene accessions. Identified pod proteins represented enzymes from 85 different metabolic pathways, including storage globulins and a late embryogenesis abundant protein. In contrast to seed maturation, pod maturation was associated with decreasing total protein content, especially proteins involved in protein biosynthesis and photosynthesis. Proteins detected only in pods included three enzymes participating in the urea cycle and four in nitrogen and amino group metabolism, highlighting the importance of nitrogen metabolism during pod development. Additionally, five legume seed proteins previously unassigned in the glutamate metabolism pathway were identified.

A Change inSHATTERPROOFProtein Lies at the Origin of a Fruit Morphological Novelty and a New Strategy for Seed Dispersal inMedicagoGenus

“…In uncoiledpod species, the ovary grew mainly through symmetrical elongation in the longitudinal axis and in width, followed by expansion in pod diameter, similarly to what has been described for other legume species such as pea, soybean (Glycine max), or Lotus japonicus (Ozga et al, 2002;Nautrup-Pedersen et al, 2010). Mature pods in these species had a similar shape to the anthesis ovaries, only larger (Fig.…”

Proteomic Analysis of Embryogenesis and the Acquisition of Seed Dormancy in Norway Maple (Acer platanoides L.)

“…Proteomics is a powerful tool for functional analysis [12] and is now being used in studies on seed development and dormancy [13,14]. Proteomic analyses of seed development have been performed on species that are characterized by either a lack of or weak dormancy, including legumes [15,16], Arabidopsis [17] and rapeseed [18,19]. The most highly-identified proteins have been those related to central metabolism, followed by those related to cellular structure, as well as many unknown proteins [20].…”

A Proteomic Analysis of Seed Development in Brassica campestri L

“…Proteomics provides more powerful tool to understand the complex protein dynamics and the underlying regulatory mechanisms during seed development [10]–[12]. By examining temporal patterns and simultaneous changes in protein accumulation, extensive proteomic studies have been carried out in legumes [13], [14], Arabidopsis [15], [16], rapeseed [17], [18], rice [19], wheat [20], [21] and many other species [10] to profile protein dynamics during seed development. The most popular proteins are those participating in central metabolism, followed by those related to cellular structure, and many previously unknown proteins are indicated important roles in embryo development [12].…”