National Research Council of Italy

Institute of Biosciences and BioResources

DISBA logo CNR logo
IBBR publication #1232

Zein accumulation in forage species (Lotus corniculatus and Medicago sativa) and coexpression of gamma-zein:KDEL and beta-zein:KDEL polypeptides in tobacco leaf

Bellucci Michele, Alpini Angelica, Arcioni Sergio

Plant Cell Reports 20: 848-856. [ISSN: 0721-7714] (2002)
doi: 10.1007/s00299-001-0413-0

Plants of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) were transformed by Agrobacterium with binary vectors harbouring genes that code either for wild-type and gamma-zein:KDEL, or for beta-zein:KDEL. The maize seed storage proteins gamma-zein and beta-zein are rich in sulphur amino acids and our long-term goal was to improve alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil forage quality. Significant levels of zeins were detected in leaves of birdsfoot trefoil transformants, ranging up to 0.055% and to 0.30% of total extractable protein for gamma-zein and beta-zein:KDEL, respectively. In leaves of alfalfa, gamma-zein:KDEL expression level was up to 0.026% of the total extractable protein. From a F1 population of transgenic tobacco a plant was selected in which the amount of zeins (gamma-zein:KDEL plus beta- zein:KDEL) accounted for 1.1% of total extractable protein

IBBR Authors:
Actions
Select by Year
Select by Type
Select by Author
*
*
*
*
Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse (IBBR/CNR)
Via G. Amendola 165/A, I-70126 Bari (Italy)
Copyright © 2012-2024. All Rights Reserved.