Red Kwao Krua (Butea superba Roxb.) is a Thai traditional medicinal plants used in alternative medicines for anti-aging and increased sex vigor in male. Seasonal changes especially changes in temperature and amount of rainfall are major influencing factors which results in induction of protein biosynthesis in response to plant stresses, leading to changes in protein relative abundance in metabolic pathways of plant cells. Proteomics was applied in this study using the two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for protein identification coupled with mass spectrometry, to study the variations in proteome compositions of B. superba tubers and leaves collected during rainy season, winter and summer. The protein separation results demonstrated the identified 224 protein spots in tubers and 112 protein spots in leaves which were classified to be the same amount of 12 functional protein groups. The 45 and 12 identified proteins in tubers and leaves were involved in multiple metabolic pathways in different seasons. The analysis of the protein spot intensities indicated that the differential amount of expressed proteins might be induced from the increased temperature and water shortage stresses occurred during summer and the decreased temperature and water shortage stresses occurred during winter might induce the differential abundance levels. It might result in changes in the physiological status within plant tubers and leaves, including phonotypic changes related to plant survival. The results might help the molecular basis understanding in tuber and leaf proteomes. In additional, the distinct of some proteins could potentially be used as protein markers to indicate the responses to the physical factors occurred during seasonal changes in other plants. It might also applied for setting of harvest of B. superba tubers and leaves for manufacturing of products.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chulalongkorn University, 2015