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Genes encoding representatives of two subfamilies from the vicilin storage protein family in pea (Pisum sativum L.) have been sequenced and characterised. One, encoding convicilin, shows that this protein differs from vicilin by the insertion of a hydrophilic region near the N-terminus. The transcription start point has been determinedand the pattern of expression in developing seeds elucidated. By theexpression of this gene in tobacco, the specific polypeptide product ofthe gene was identified as a minor component of convicilin , with a lowerMr than the major species . The other gene subfamily investigated wasThat encoding the vicilin 47,000 Mr polypeptide. A gene and a cDNA weresequenced, and the gene found to diverge from the cDNA in the 3" regionof the coding sequence. No product from this divergent gene could beidentified.A member of the legumin gene family (legK) was sequenced and found to be inactive due to a mutation of the start codon. The region of DNAencoding the start codon of this gene was amplified by polymerase chainreaction from a pea line in which the gene was known to be active . Thesequence of this revealed the presence of a normal start codon. Two dimensional protein gels were run with seed extracts from these twolines , and the product of (legK) demonstrated by its occurrence in theline with the functional gene. A method for the extraction and purification of the major pea root protein was established. The protein was shown to have a Mr of 16,000 and not to be susceptible to cleavage by cyanogen bromide. Partial amino acid sequence data was obtained from the purified protein .A differential screen of cDNA from purple and green poddedvarieties of pea was conducted, and differentially expressed cDNAsisolated . The nature of the expression of these cDNAs was studied in thetwo lines and the cause of instability in the purple podded phenotypeinvestigated . A genomic library was constructed from the purple poddedline . Two genes were selected by the differentially expressed cDNAs andtheir DNA sequences determined. A gene encoding a pectinestera- likesequence, and the pod expressed cDNA used to select it , were found to betwo members of a small multigene family in pea. The second gene selectedproved to encode a protein containing two distinct domains; the N-terminal region being of a repetitive proline-rich nature and the C-terminal region being hydrophobic and cysteine rich . This gene waspresent as a single copy in the pea genome and its expression appearedto be linked to pigmentation.

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This study has demonstrated and investigated the expression of a cDNA, coding for the pea seed storage protein vicilin, in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The cDNA was contained in the plasmid pLG1.63 and has been characterised and sequenced. The sequence showed that the cDNA coded for a 47KDa type of vicilin with a putative 24 amino-acid signal peptide, a proteolytic cleavage site and one glycosylation signal. The cDNA was cloned into two yeast expression vectors. The first utilised the GALIO promoter rendering expression of the cDNA inducible galactose, the construct was called pDUB2300. The second construct, pDUB2302, placed the cDNA under the control of the PGK promoter, rendering the cDNA constitutively expressed. When transformed into yeast, both constructs produced an immunoreactive vicilin species of M(_r) =49KDa. In the case of pDUB2302 the protein was produced at up to 5.5% of total cell protein. The protein was shown to be associated with a particulate fraction and displayed altered precipitation characteristics when compared with pea vicilin. By using tunicanydn and N-glycosidase, the protein was shown to be unglycosylated. Partial purification and (^35)S-methionine labelling demonstrated that the signal pep tide remained uncleaved. Cell fractionation studies indicated that vicilin was enriched in the yeast microsomal fraction, suggesting that vicilin was located in the EH. This was confirmed electron microscopy of immuno-gold labelled yeast which showed vicilin associated with the ER. The electron micrographs also suggested that a small proportion of the protein might be reaching thecolgi apparatus and the vacuole membrane. The presence of specific cleavage products on some western blots suggested that vicilin possessed a cleavage site for a yeast protease, though whether this was the same site as the pea proteolytic cleavage site was not determined. The pattern and nature of the expression of vicilin from this cDNA was discussed in the context of heterologous protein expression in yeast in general and plant storage protein expression in yeast in particular.

No description available.

No description available.