We studied three mutations, opaque-2 (o2), opaque-7 (o7), and floury-2(fI2), each of which causes a depression in zein synthesis. We examined the processing efficiencies of the rough endoplasmic reticulum membranes in vitro, the levels of RNA transcription using cloned zein probes, and the genomic organization of the zein sequences as possible sites for the genetic defects. The results obtained indicate that the steps in prezein translation and processing occurring on the protein body membranes are not accountable for the lowered zein content in any of the mutations. The o2 mutation that typically shows a paucity of 22.5-kdalton zein polypeptides was found to have a concomitant reduction in a particular subgroup of mRNAs coding for this size class. Southern analyses suggest that the o2 mutation is not the result of a large deletion of tandem-linked zein genes.

A cell-free, mRNA-dependent system has been developed for the translation and processing of zein preproteins. A rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER)-enriched fraction, isolated by sucrose density gradients, can be treated with micrococcal nuclease to destroy endogenous messages. When these membranes are added to a wheat germ protein-synthesizing system together with zein mRNA, synthesis and processing of the polypeptides to the mature products takes place. The RER fraction from the endosperm has a different protein composition than that prepared from either the shoot or nucellar tissue and processes prezein more efficiently. The cleavage of the preproteins appears to be a cotranslational step as the completed preprotein chains cannot be processed, although they can be taken up to a limited extent. This small uptake, or absorption, or unprocessed zein seems to be an artifact and may be related to the unusual solubility properties of zein. Finally a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-urea polyacrylamide gel system has been developed which is particularly suited for the separation of low molecular weight proteins (less than 10,000 daltons). Using this method, we examined the products of in vitro zein processing and detected no presequence polypeptides. This suggests that the zein cleavage proteinase is probably an exopeptidase.