A Comparative Proteomics Analysis of Soybean Cotyledon and Unifoliolate Leaves Under Heat (Chilling) Treatments

To understand the cold stress response of soybean, 480 soybean germplasms were used to find the tolerant and sensitivity of germplasm to cold. Then a comparative proteomic analysis between soybean seed treated at chilling and non-chilling temperature was carried out using the tolerant cold soybean germplasm. During the germination of seed, it was possible to discriminate between proteins involved in symptoms and proteins implicated in response to chilling. A proteomic approach, based on two-dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-ToF-MS peptide mass fingerprinting experiments, was used for this purpose. The comparison of the resulting proteomic maps highlighted proteins showing quantitative variations induced by temperature treatments. Twenty-nine protein spots exhibited significant quantitative changes under at least one stress condition. Identified, differentially represented proteins belonged to two main broad functional groups, namely energy production/carbon metabolism and response to abiotic and oxidative stresses. In addition, our data seem to indicate a possible candidate to be used as a protein marker for further studies on cold stress.