Degradation of β-conglycinin β-homotrimer by papain: independent occurrence of limited and extensive proteolysis.

Limited and extensive proteolysis occur when β-conglycinin β homo-trimer (β(3)-conglycinin) from soybeans is attacked by papain. Slow limited proteolysis is restricted to cleavage of β(3)-conglycinin polypeptides into subunit halves (N- and C-terminal domains) that are further slightly truncated. The kinetics of limited and extensive proteolyses analyzed separately indicates that the two processes occur independently from the very beginning of the reaction.

New aspects of the molecular evolution of legumains, Asn-specific cysteine proteinases.

The molecular evolution of asparagine-specific cysteine proteinases, called legumains, from plants and animals was analyzed using newly available related amino acid sequences from lower eukaryotes, bacteria and Archaea. The results suggest that genuine legumains originate from prokaryote pro-legumains. The evolutionary roots of genuine legumains from plants and animals descend from Parabasalia and Alveolata before developing into their respective separate branches headed by Chlorophyta and Placozoa.