Partnerships & Resources

Center Scientist, Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics, University of California, Davis, CA
Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Lead Scientific Advisor, Soy Labs, LLC, Fairfield, CA

Dr. Alfredo Galvez joined the Center of Excellence in Nutritional Genomics two years ago to work on elucidating the molecular mechanism of action of the soy peptide, lunasin. Dr. Galvez serendipitously discovered the anti-cancer properties of the lunasin peptide, while working as a postdoctoral researcher on a project to increase the methionine content of soy protein at UC Berkeley in the late 1990's. His work led to the novel finding that lunasin binds specifically to deacetylated histones H3 and H4 and prevents their acetylation via a masking effect. Inhibitors of histone acetylation are correlated with gene repression, however microarray analysis of prostate cells treated with lunasin under basal condition showed that this soy peptide upregulates expression of chemopreventive genes but only in the non-tumorigenic cell line. The current working model to explain the microarray results is that lunasin preferrentially binds to deacetylated lysine 8 in histone H4 and increases acetylation of H4-lysine 16, leading to increased gene expression.

Dr. Galvez is also collaborating with the Missouri Soybean Board, Soy Labs and the University of Missouri to develop cholesterol-lowering soy protein extracts for commercial production. This is based on his discovery that lunasin can inhibit the acetylation of histone H3 by the PCAF histone acetylase enzyme and reduce expression of HMG-CoA reductase (the rate-limiting enzyme for cholesterol biosynthesis) in liver cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) have shown that SREBP transcriptional activation of HMG-CoA reductase requires H3 acetylation by PCAF. This discovery provides a mechanism of action to explain the cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein and paves the way for optimizing soy protein ingredients to maximize its heart-healthy benefits.

Prior to joining the Center, Dr. Galvez has founded and worked in a start-up biotech company. He obtained his Ph.D. in Genetics from UC Davis in 1992 and has worked as a research scientist for the USDA and UC Berkeley.

Relevant Publications:

Galvez AF, Magbanua MM, Dawson K, Huang L & Rodriguez RL. Chromatin binding soy peptide upregulates chemopreventive genes in non-tumorigenic prostate cells by increasing H4 Lysine 16 acetylation. Submitted. Magbanua M, Dawson K, Huang L, Malyj W, Gregg J, Galvez A & Rodriguez RL. Nutrient - Gene Interactions Involving Soy Peptide and Chemopreventive Genes in Prostate Epithelial Cells, in Nutritional Genomics - Discovering the Path to Personalized Nutrition, J. Kaput and R. L. Rodriguez eds., Wiley and Sons, New Jersey (2005).
Lam Y., Galvez A.F. and B.O. de Lumen. 2003. Lunasin suppresses E1A-mediated transformation of mammalian cells but does not inhibit growth of immortalized and established cancer cell lines. Nutr Cancer 47 (1): 88-94. Galvez, A.F. , Chen N., Macasieb J. and B.O. de Lumen. 2001. Chemopreventive property of a soybean peptide (Lunasin) that binds to deacetylated histones and inhibits acetylation. Cancer Research 61:7473-7478.
Galvez, A.F. and B.O. de Lumen. 1999. A soybean cDNA encoding a chromatin-binding peptide inhibits mitosis of mammalian cells. Nature Biotechnology 17:495-500.