Active uptake of sucrose by plant plasma membrane vesicles: determination of some important physical and energetical parameters

Changes in general protease activity and the levels of the zein storage proteins were monitored during germination and early seedling growth of maize ( Zea mays L . inbred A636). General endosperm endoprotease activity, measured in vitro using azocasein as a substrate, increased continuously to day 5 and remained high thereafter. The increase was in parallel with the loss of zein protein as determined by immunoblot analysis, with a total loss of detectable zein by 10 days after inhibition of the seeds. A method was developed for the specific in vitro assay of zein degrading activity by monitoring the release of soluble radioactivity from the immobilized storage protein. The in vitro pH optimum for both general protease and zein degrading activities in homogenates prepared from isolated endosperm was 4.0. However, the curve for general protease activity was asymmetrical suggesting the presence of more than 1 protease. This was verified by activity staining of gelatin-containing polyacrylamide gels, which suggested the presence of 3 major and 3 minor protease activities. Both general protease and zein-specific activities were enhanced more than 2-fold when 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) was included in the assays, and both were inhibited by fhiol-protease directed compounds. Most of the general protease activity but none of the zein-specific protease activity bound to con A-Sepharose. Both the con A-binding and nonbinding fractions were analyzed using gelatin activity gels. The 3 minor activity bands were present in the fraction which was specifically eluted from the con A column by a-methyl-mannoside, while the 3 major activity bands, corresponding to the zein-specific protease activity, did not bind to the immobilized lectin.     

富硫蛋白基因对牧草百脉根的转化

豆科植物百脉根（ＬｏｔｕｓｃｏｒｎｉｃｏｆａｔｕｓＬ．）是一种优良的牧草。１０ｋＤ玉米醇溶蛋白是一种富硫蛋白,依分子数计算,含硫氨基酸占总氨基酸量的２５％。通过根癌农杆菌（Ａｇｒｏｂａｃｔｅｒｉｕｍｔｕｍｅｆａｃｉｅｎｓ）的介导,将ｒｂｃＳ启动子及ＣａＭＶ３５Ｓ启动于调控下的１０ｋＤ玉米醇溶蛋白基因的嵌合质粒导入百脉根,得到转化的植株,其卡那霉素的抗性由ＢＮＰＴⅡ活性分析进一步得到证明。Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎｂｌｏｔ分析表明,１０ｋＤ玉米醇溶蛋白基因已整合到百脉根的核基因组中。     

Expression of zein in long term endosperm cultures of maize

Continuous cultures, established 10 days after pollination from endosperms of inbred A636 Zea mays (L.) were extracted 21 months later with aqueous ethanol. The solubilized proteins were analyzed by poly-acrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Two protein bands co-migrated with zein, the major storage protein of maize. Immunoblotting of the gel followed by incubation of the immobilized proteins with anti-zein IgG provided evidence that the polypeptides were in fact zein. Electron microscopic studies showed that the cultures contained cells with protein bodies as found in developing endosperms. The protein bodies could be isolated from the cultures and were shown to contain zein. We conclude that the long term cultures described here synthesize zein and deposit it in the form of protein bodies of the type found in developing endosperms. Thus, certain endosperm characteristics and the production of tissue-specific proteins are retained in prolonged culture.     

Serial analysis of zein by isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis

Zein, the major storage protein of maize (Zea mays L.) endosperm, was extracted from a number of inbreds with alcohol plus a reducing agent. Isoelectric focusing (IEF) separated total zeins into 41 components, while sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) separated total zeins into about 15 components. Each procedure gave characteristic patterns of zein bands for a number of maize inbreds. IEF and SDS-PAGE were used serially so that each band separated by IEF could be assayed as an individual SDS-PAGE sample. Some IEF bands revealed only a single band after SDS-PAGE, while others revealed two or more bands. A nomenclature system is presented which integrates the two separation systems with information about chromosome locations of zein genes, maize mutations which affect zein synthesis, and inbred sources for different zeins. SDS-PAGE of zein gives apparent molecular masses which vary widely according to the standards used and the properties of the gels, therefore an artificial nomenclature for identifying zein bands after SDS-PAGE is presented. The new nomenclature provides a flexible system which is useful and can be conveniently used in different laboratories.     

Variation of Storage Proteins and Isozymes within Maize Inbred Lines

Seed storage proteins of ten maize inbred lines were investigated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition, fourteen isozyme loci representing nine isozyme systems were analysed. Salt-soluble protein fraction contained a large number of proteins (30 – 40 bands) of different sizes with genotypic differences among the ten inbred lines. The methionine-rich 10 kD zein showed differential expression in the ten inbred lines with different migration rates on the SDS-PAGE. This polypeptide was completely absent in the inbred line G221D. Among nine of the inbred lines, eight of 14 isozyme loci were polymorphic and six were monomorphic resulting in seven unique fingerprints.     

Differential expression of a gene for a methionine-rich storage protein in maize

Summary A methionine-rich 10 kDa zein storage protein from maize was isolated and the sequence of the N-terminal 30 amino acids was determined. Based on the amino acid sequence, two mixed oligonucleotides were synthesized and used to probe a maize endosperm cDNA library. A fulllength cDNA clone encoding the 10 kDa zein was isolated by this procedure. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA clone predicts a polypeptide of 129 amino acids, preceded by a signal peptide of 21 amino acids. The predicted polypeptide is unique in its extremely high content of methionine (22.5%). The maize inbred line BSSS-53, which has increased seed methionine due to overproduction of this protein, was compared to W23, a standard inbred line. Northern blot analysis showed that the relative RNA levels for the 10 kDa zein were enhanced in developing seeds of BSSS-53, providing a molecular basis for the overproduction of the protein. Southern blot analysis indicated that there are one or two 10 kDa zein genes in the maize genome.     

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for zein and other proteins using unconventional solvents for antigen adsorption

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) performed in polystyrene microtiter plates that can detect and quantitate the maize prolamin zein is described. The assay yields positive reactions with as little as 1 ng of antigen and uses solvents not ordinarily employed in ELISA methods. A systematic investigation of zein adsorption to polystyrene in various solvents supports the hypothesis that antigen binding occurs through nonpolar interactions. The method was also used to determine structural relationships among three zein polypeptides differing in size and charge. Additional experiments indicate that a number of soluble proteins are absorbed to polystyrene in the denaturing agent urea and retain immunological reactivity. The retention of antigen reactivity after solubilization in 6-8 M urea suggests that ELISA methods may be applicable to other proteins which are insoluble, or rendered insoluble, in aqueous buffers.     

Isolation and sequence of a gene encoding a methionine-rich 10-kDa zein protein from maize

We have isolated the gene encoding a methionine-rich 10-kDa zein protein from a lambda EMBL3 maize genomic 'mini' library of the inbred line BSSS-53 and determined its nucleotide sequence. The sequence matches perfectly with a cDNA clone from the inbred line W22 (which has the same restriction fragment length polymorphism as many inbred lines tested) indicating that we have isolated a functional storage protein gene that is very conserved in maize. This comparison also excludes any splicing of any precursor mRNA and therefore any presence of introns. A number of potential regulatory sequences have been located in the flanking regions. The 10-kDa-zein gene represents the last size class in the zein multigene family to be characterized. Its structure allows us now to re-examine the relationship of all the zein proteins and also to compare the structure of a new class of storage proteins that are rich in methionine, an essential amino acid in livestock fodder.     

Molecular mapping in tropical maize (Zea mays L.) using microsatellite markers. 1. Map construction and localization of loci showing distorted segregation

Microsatellites have become the most important class of markers for mapping procedures. Primarily based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers, several molecular genetic maps of maize have been developed, mainly using temperate inbred maize lines. To characterize the level of polymorphism of microsatellite loci and construct a genetic map in tropical maize, two elite inbred lines, L-08-05F and L-14-4B, were crossed to produce 400 F(2) individuals that were used as a mapping population. A survey of 859 primer pair sequences of microsatellites was used. The polymorphism screens of each microsatellite and genotype assignment were performed using high-resolution agarose gels. About 54 % of the primer sets gave clearly scorable amplification products, 13 % did not amplify and 33 % could not be scored on agarose gels. A total of 213 polymorphic markers were identified and used to genotype the mapping population. Among the polymorphic markers, 40 showed loci deviating from expected Mendelian ratios and clusters of deviating markers were located in three chromosome regions. Non-Mendelian scoring was present in 19 markers. The final genetic map with 117 markers spanned 1634 cM in length with an average interval of 14 cM between adjacent markers.     

Separation of alcohol-soluble proteins (zeins) from maize into three fractions by differential solubility

The prolamin of maize (Zea mays L.), zein, was extracted from endosperm meal with 60% (v/v) 2-propanol/1% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol either directly or subsequent to extraction with 90% (v/v) 2-propanol. The zein extracted with 90% 2-propanol was essentially made up of 20 to 24 kilodalton polypeptides (α-zein) while that extractable with 60% 2-propanol/1% 2-mercaptoethanol contained, in addition to α-zein, 17 to 18 kilodalton methionine-rich polypeptides and a 27 kilodalton proline-rich polypeptide. While zein was separated into three fractions by differential solubility in 90% 2-propanol and 30% 2-propanol/30 millimolar sodium acetate (pH 6) using two different fractionation protocols. Each of the three solubility fractions (SF1, SF2, and SF3) had a unique polypeptide composition. Based on results obtained from two inbreds, K55 and W64A, the SF1 constituted 75 to 80% of the total zein and included as major components 20 to 24 kilodalton polypeptides and a minor 10 kilodalton polypeptide. The SF2 made up 10 to 15% of the total zein and included exclusively 17 to 18 kD methionine-rich polypeptides. A 27 kilodalton proline-rich component constituted the SF3 and contributed 5 to 10% to total zein.     

Zein gene organization in maize and related grasses

Summary Zein cDNA clones were used to study the organization of zein genes within the genome of the inbred maize W64A. When individual clones for the two larger molecular-weight classes of zein proteins (M_r=22,000; M_r=19,000) were used as probes for Southern blot hybridizations of genomic DNA, multiple restriction fragments were found to hybridize. Reconstruction analyses using moderately stringent criteria were used to estimate a total of 70–80 zein sequences within the genome of this inbred maize. The hybridization patterns suggest that zein sequences are clustered within the same restriction fragment. When criteria permitting less cross-hybridization of homologous sequences (T_m-10°C) were used, the banding pattern changed, with some of the bands being reduced in intensity or eliminated entirely. Therefore, by control of hybridization criteria, particular zein genes may be more readily distinguished in a Southern blot analysis. The Southern blot hybridization pattern for the M_r=15,000 zein was less complex. Only a single major band was found, with sufficient hybridization intensity for two or three genes.Genomic Southern analyses of other inbred maizes and related grasses showed similarly complex hybridization patterns with cDNA probes for the 19,000- and 22,000-molecular-weight zeins, suggesting that these sequences have been conserved over evolutionary time. The zein multigene family may therefore have arisen by gene duplication before divergence of the maize, teosinte, andTripsacum species from a common ancestor.This is Journal Paper number 9525 of the Purdue Agriculture Experiment Station     

富含蛋氨酸玉米醇溶蛋白在大肠杆菌中的表达

目的:克隆玉米中富含蛋氨酸的10kD玉米醇溶蛋白,证明植物源目的基因在大肠杆菌中能够表达.方法:从玉米胚乳中克隆高蛋氨酸基因zein,通过PCR扩增zein片段,连接pGEX - 4T -1原核表达载体,转入大肠杆菌中,IPTG诱导后,HPLC测定蛋氨酸含量.结果:经PCR扩增出467bp条带,Blast分析同源性99%,经IPTG诱导进行SDS - PAGE检测,发现在36kD处出现一条明显的条带.诱导后菌体总蛋氨酸含量比正常菌体提高了9.6%.结论:证实了植物源10kD玉米醇溶蛋白在大肠杆菌中能够表达.     

Characterization of Polypeptides Corresponding to Clones of Maize Zein mRNAS

Zeins, the storage proteins of maize (Zea mays) are a complex group of polypeptides encoded by a large multigene family. The α-zein proteins, which account for about 70% of the total, show both size and charge heterogeneity. Although clones corresponding to several different alpha zeins have been characterized, it has not been possible to correlate these sequences with individual zein polypeptides. By translating in Xenopus oocytes RNAs transcribed in vitro from cloned zein mRNAs, we were able to identify the encoded proteins among native zeins or zeins synthesized in oocytes with total zein mRNA. There was no correlation between the isoelectric points of these proteins and the homology of their coding DNA sequences, as the proteins encoded by two closely homologous cDNAs migrated with greater charge heterogeneity than those encoded by less homologous clones. In addition, the size of the proteins as determined by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis did not always correlate with the length of the protein deduced from the DNA sequence. The ability to match cloned zein sequences to individual native proteins will enable the genetic mapping of cloned genes as well as the analysis of their translational regulation.     

Tissue-specific zein synthesis in maize kernel

Zein may account for as much as 10% of the total protein in the mature embryo of maize inbred W64A. This protein exhibited an electrophoretic pattern on SDS gels similar to that of the endosperm. Like the endosperm system, the synthesis of zein components in the embryo was controlled by the opaque-2 and floury-2 mutations. However, unlike zein synthesis in the endosperm, zein synthesis in the embryo could not be increased by nitrogen fertilizer. Variations in amino acid composition were observed between the zein components of the embryo and those of the endosperm.