Abstract
The legumin- and vicilin-like seed storage globulins of spermatophytes are specifically accumulated during embryogenesis and seed development. Previous studies have shown that a precursor common to both legumin and vicilin genes might have evolved by duplication from a single-domain ancestral gene. We here report that amino acid sequences of legumin and vicilin domains share statistically significant similarity to the germination-specific germins of wheat as well as to the spherulation-specific spherulins of myxomycetes. This conclusion is further supported by the derived intron-exon structure of a spherulin gene. Spherulins are thought to be involved in tissue desiccation or hydration. It is suggested that the present-day seed globulins of spermatophytes have evolved from a group of ancient proteins functional in cellular desiccation/hydration processes.
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Correspondence to: H. Bäumlein
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Bäumlein, H., Braun, H., Kakhovskaya, I.A. et al. Seed storage proteins of spermatophytes share a common ancestor with desiccation proteins of fungi. J Mol Evol 41, 1070–1075 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173188
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173188