Protein Separation in Functional Rice Grains Using Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis

The proteins from functional rice cultivars (Nogwonchalbyeo, Giant embryonic, Arhyangchalbyeo, and Goamibyeo) and general white rice were extracted and separated using two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis. A wide variation in the molecular weight (MW) and pH range of the expressed proteins in rice samples were observed. The green-kerneled rice (Nogwonchalbyeo) exhibited proteins with MW of 9-57 kDa and appeared at a pH range of 4-7. The Giant embryonic contained proteins with MW of 31-63 kDa and a pH range of 5-6. The aromatic glutinous rice (Arhyangchalbyeo) showed proteins with MW of 24-28 and pH of 5.8-6.8. The high-amylose rice (Goamibyeo) exhibited proteins with MW of 3-63 and pH of 5.2-5.6. The identified proteins uniquely found and highly expressed in each cultivar may have a significant role on rice functionality. The results illustrate that the 2D gel electrophoresis is a valuable method in the determination of the protein expression profiles in functional rice grains and may be useful in the identification of specific marker proteins associated with the functional property of rice.