Affiliations: Nutrition and Health Department, Food Science Research
Institute, Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., 1 Sumiyoshi-cho, Izumisano, Osaka 598-8540,
Japan. Tel.: +81 724 63 1830; Fax: +81 724 61 1356; E-mail;
[email protected] | Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, The
University of Tokyo, 1-1-1- Yagoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-865, Japan
Note: [] Corresponding author
Abstract: Soy protein has various biological functions, such as
cholesterol-lowering effect, anti-obese, in addition to that nutritive value,
and may relieve some lifestyle-related diseases, cancer, osteoporosis,
menopausal disorder and so on. Because of the cholesterol-lowering effect of
soy protein had been studied extremely and internationally for mechanism and
clinical proof, the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan had approved soy
protein product as a food for special health use (FOSHU) in 1994, and also the
FDA in the United States also approved the food labeling for that in 1999.
Although, some reports suggested that soy protein changes in expression of the
genes concerned with lipid metabolism in liver and in adipose tissue, there are
few reports that it is concerned with the comprehensive influence of the intake
of soy protein on gene expression. The gene expression of liver in soy protein fed animal has been
analyzed with the Affymetrix DNA-microarray. About 33% of 8000 genes in soy
fed animals differed compared with those of casein fed. After cluster analysis,
significant differences were observed in the gene cluster concerned with lipid
metabolism, also in the gene related to energy metabolism, transcription
factor, and anti-oxidization enzymes.
