Abstract
Zeins from Zea mays L cv. Maya and coixins from Coix lacryma-jobi L. cv. Adlay were fractionated to obtain α-, β-, and γ-zein and α-, β-, and γ-coixin. The α-coixins were composed of 4 polypeptide classes of 27 kDa (C1), 25 kDa (C2), 17 kDa (C4) and 15 kDa (C5) with solubility properties very similar to those of the 22 kDa and 19 kDa α-zeins. Like the α-zeins, the C1 and C2 α-coixins corresponded to 80% of total Coix prolamins. The fraction corresponding to γ-coixin contained only one protein band of 22 kDa (C3). This coixin fraction has solubility properties similar to those of γ-zein and represents 15% of the total coixin. The β-zein fraction was composed of a major 17 kDa protein band, while the β-coixin fraction consisted of a mixture of α- and γ-coixins.
Polyclonal antibodies raised against C1 recognized C1 and C2 and cross-reacted strongly with the 22 kDa α-zein, as did C4 and C5 antisera. The antiserum against γ-coixin showed strong cross-reaction with γ-zein. The homology between coixins and zeins was further investigated by using Southern hybridization analyses. The genomic DNA of maize and Coix were digested with several restriction enzymes and probed with cDNA clones representing 19 and 22 kDa α-zeins as well as the 28 and 16 kDa γ-zeins. The Coix genome showed complex cross-hybridization sequences with the 22 kDa α-zein cDNA, while no cross-hybridization was observed with the 19 kDa cDNA clone. The cDNA clone representing the 28 kDa γ-zein cross-hybridized with only one band of Coix genomic DNA, in contrast to the three bands observed in maize. This same Coix sequence also cross-hybridized with the cDNA clone representing the 16 kDa γ-zein. The relevance of these findings are discussed in the context of the origin of zein and coixin genes.
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Leite, A., Ottoboni, L.M.M., Targon, M.L.P.N. et al. Phylogenetic relationship of zeins and coixins as determined by immunological cross-reactivity and Southern blot analysis. Plant Mol Biol 14, 743–751 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016507
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016507