Electrophoretic patterns of reserve seed proteins with reference to the taxonomic comparison of bean cultivars

The seed albumins and seed globulins of five Polish cultivars of <i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> and one cultivar of <i>Phaseolus multiflorus</i> were electrophoretically separated in polyacrylamide gel using the disc-technique of Orstein and Davis. To compare any two cultivars, the percentage of similarity coefficient (<i>S</i>) was calculated based on the Rp values of protein bands. It was found that the electrophoretic mobility of the bean globulins is in general lower than albumins. Cultivar 'Piękny Jaś', belonging to <i>Phaseolus multiflorus</i> species showed large qualitative and quantitative differences in the albumin and globulin patterns as compared to other cultivars belonging to <i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> species.

Transcriptional regulation of seed storage protein genes in Arabidopsis and cereals

Seed storage proteins (SSPs) are synthesized during development and the expression of their genes is under tight tissue-specific and temporal transcriptional regulation. In this review we summarize the current knowledge concerning the regulatory steps controlling SSP synthesis in Arabidopsis and cereals, which involves the interaction of cis regulatory elements with corresponding trans-acting factors. In some cases, the regulation of SSP genes requires the concerted action of multiple transcription factors (TFs). There is an evolutionary conservation between the prolamins (the main group of SSPs in many cereal grains) and a major group of dicot seed albumins; this relates to both the regulatory elements and the TFs that are functionally exchangeable between the monocot and dicot species.