Interactions of REF1 and SRPP1 rubber particle proteins from Hevea brasiliensis with synthetic phospholipids: Effect of charge and size of lipid headgroup.

According to the fatty acid and headgroup compositions of the phospholipids (PL) from Hevea brasiliensis latex, three synthetic PL were selected (i.e. POPA: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate POPC: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and POPG: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol) to investigate the effect of PL headgroup on the interactions with two major proteins of Hevea latex, i.e. Rubber Elongation Factor (REF1) and Small Rubber Particle Protein (SRPP1). Protein/lipid interactions were screened using two models (lipid vesicles in solution or lipid monolayers at air/liquid interface). Calcein leakage, surface pressure, ellipsometry, microscopy and spectroscopy revealed that both REF1 and SRPP1 displayed stronger interactions with anionic POPA and POPG, as compared to zwitterionic POPC. A particular behavior of REF1 was observed when interacting with POPA monolayers (i.e. aggregation + modification of secondary structure from α-helices to ß-sheets, characteristic of its amyloid aggregated form), which might be involved in the irreversible coagulation mechanism of Hevea rubber particles.

Molecular cloning, expression profiles, and characterization of a novel polyphenol oxidase (PPO) gene in Hevea brasiliensis.

The polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is involved in undesirable browning in many plant foods. Although the PPOs have been studied by several researchers, the isolation and expression profiles of PPO gene were not reported in rubber tree. In this study, a new PPO gene, HbPPO, was isolated from Hevea brasiliensis. The sequence alignment showed that HbPPO indicated high identities to plant PPOs and belonged to dicot branch. The cis-acting regulatory elements related to stress/hormone responses were predicted in the promoter region of HbPPO. Real-time RT-PCR analyses showed that HbPPO expression varied widely depending on different tissues and developmental stages of leaves. Besides being associated with tapping panel dryness, the HbPPO transcripts were regulated by ethrel, wounding, H2O2, and methyl jasmonate treatments. Moreover, the correlation between latex coagulation rate and PPO activity was further confirmed in this study. Our results lay the foundation for further analyzing the function of HbPPO in rubber tree.