Lepri, A. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

Storage protein biosynthesis is affected by ionome composition in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) seeds

Soybean seeds are a significant source of protein for human and animal nutrition, primarily due to seed storage proteins (SSPs) from the albumin and globulin families, which are predominantly located in protein storage vacuoles within cotyledon cells. This study characterised the dynamics of protein and mineral nutrient accumulation in four soybean genotypes with contrasting protein content--two transgenic (tg1 and tg2) and two conventional (ct1 and ct2)--from the beginning of seed filling (R5.5) through to maturity (R8) under field conditions. Profiles of globulin SSPs (glycinin and {beta}-conglycinin), as well as the protein and elemental distribution in mature seed cotyledons were examined. Results revealed that genotypes with higher protein content showed increased S and Zn concentrations and a higher glycinin:{beta}-conglycinin ratio. Subcellular analyses further indicated co-localisation of proteins and Zn within cotyledon cells. Our findings reveal a complex association between S and Zn accumulation and SSPs biosynthesis, indicating that their availability can limit the SSP content. HIGHLIGHTSoybean seed genotypes containing higher sulphur (S) and zinc (Zn) content in the cotyledonary cells exhibit a distinct storage proteins profile by increasing the abundance of sulphur-amino acids rich globulins.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2018

A new counter-intuitive therapy for adult amblyopia

Visual cortex plasticity is high during a critical period of early postnatal development, but rapidly diminishes with the transition to adulthood. Accordingly, visual disorders such as amblyopia (lazy eye), can be treated early in life by long-term occlusion of the non-amblyopic eye, but may become irreversible in adults, because of the decline in brain plasticity. Here we show that a novel counter-intuitive approach can promote the recovery of visual function in adult amblyopic patients: short-term occlusion of the amblyopic (not the fellow) eye, combined with physical exercise (cycling). After six brief (2h) training sessions, visual acuity improved in all ten patients (0.15{+/-}0.02 LogMar), and six of them also recovered stereopsis. The improvement was preserved for up to one year after training. A control experiment revealed that physical activity was crucial for the recovery of visual acuity and stereopsis. Thus, we propose a non-invasive therapeutic strategy for adult human amblyopia based an inverse-occlusion and physical exercise procedure.

neuroscience↗