Cereal Chem 52:734 - 739.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Studies on Corn Proteins. VII. Developmental Changes in Endosperm Proteins of High-Lysine Mutants.

P. S. Misra, E. T. Mertz, and D. V. Glover. Copyright 1975 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The endosperm proteins of the near-isogenic maize mutants opaque-2, brittle-2, the double mutant of opaque-2 and brittle-2, and the normal counterpart were separated into fractions by the Landry-Moureaux method. As compared to the normal counterpart, all three mutants had higher concentrations of albumins and globulins throughout seed development. The highest concentrations of albumins and globulins were observed 14 days post-pollination, with a steady decrease 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49 days post-pollination. In the normal counterpart, zein production was evident 14 days post-pollination and reached a peak 42 days post-pollination. The zein level attained in the normal endosperm in 14 days was not reached until the 18th and 21st day, respectively, in brittle-2 and opaque-2. This delay in onset of zein synthesis, along with slower rates of synthesis, reduced total production of zein to less than 50% of the normal counterpart. In the double mutant of opaque-2 and brittle-2, zein formation was not apparent at any time during development.