Thioredoxin: a photosynthetic regulatory protein finds application in food improvement

Abstract

AbstractExperiments initiated in the early 1960s on fermentative bacteria led to the discovery of ferredoxin‐dependent α‐ketocarboxylation reactions that were later found to be key to a new cycle for the assimilation of carbon dioxide in photosynthetic bacteria (the reductive carboxylic acid cycle). The latter finding set the stage for the discovery of a regulatory system, the ferredoxin/thioredoxin system, functional in photosynthesis in chloroplasts (and oxygen‐evolving photosynthetic prokaryotes). The chloroplast research, in turn, led to the finding of a system regulating seed germination. Each of these regulatory systems depends on thioredoxin, a ubiquitous 12 kDa protein with a catalytically active disulphide group that reduces specific disulphide sites of target enzymes or proteins. The seed work has begun to open doors to new technologies, also based on thioredoxin, that have broad application, including use in the improvement of major foods. This paper traces the history of this research and shows the current status of its application to food products.© 2001 Society of Chemical Industry