Immunological relationships among the major seed proteins of cereals

The structural relationships among the major seed proteins of cereals was evaluated by Western blot analyses using antibodies raised against the wheat gliadin, rice glutelin acidic and basic subunits, and rice prolamine polypeptide. Consitent with the conservation of the primary sequences of these proteins, antibodies to the acidic and basic glutelin subunits cross-reacted with homologous polypeptides from oat as well as pea. The rice glutelin antibodies did not react with the major seed proteins from barley, rye, maize and sorghum. Antibodies raised against the acidic glutelin subunit reacted with the wheat glutenins but antibodies to the basic glutelin subunit did not. A comparison of the published primary sequences of a high molecular weight glutenin and rice glutelin showed little similarity except for a conserved peptide with the motif arg-gln-leu-gln-cys. The possible significance of this conserved element shared by these widely different proteins is discussed. Similar studies with the wheat gliadin antibody showed immunologically related components in plants of the subfamily Festucoideae except for rice. Antibodies raised against the rice prolamine recognized only the rice prolamine, indicating that this polypeptide was structurally distinct from other cereal prolamines. Overall, these results support and help clarify the evolutionary relationship of the cereals.