Cereal Chem 67:136-138   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Effect of Sulfur Deficiency on the Synthesis of Alpha-Setarin, a Methionine-Rich Protein of Italian Millet.

A. P. Naren and T. K. Virupaksha. Copyright 1990 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Seeds of Italian millet (Setaria italica (l.) Beauv.) variety K 221-1 were grown in sand culture supplied with low (0.0125 nM), medium (0.125 mM), and high 1.25 mM) concentrations of sulfur (S) as magnesium sulfate, and seeds were analyzed for the amounts of alpha-setarin synthesized. Plants raised under sulfer- deficient conditions showed clear visual symptoms of sulfur deficiency, and the alpha-setarin synthesis was reduced considerably as shown by crossed immunoelectrophoresis, rocket immunoeletrophoresis, and avidin-biotin micro titer enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (AB-microELISA). Immunochemical techniques were also instrumental in the present study in identifying storage proteins among other millets that cross react with the antibodies raised aginst alpha-setarin.