Effects of trxS gene on protein degradation in germinating barley seeds

We assessed the effects of trxS gene on changes of proteinase activity, contents of different protein fractions and SDS-PAGE profiles in germinating seeds of contrasting transgenic and nontransgenic barley variety. Proteinase activity was enhanced by 70.28% in transgenic than nontransgenic barley seeds, whereas contents of albumin, globulin, hordein and glutelin in transgenic seeds were 3.68%, 23.52%, 31.37%, and 21.04%, lower than those in nontransgenic seeds. Degradation rates of hordein and glutelin in transgenic seeds were faster than those in nontransgenic seedlings as indicated by the SDS-PAGE profiles. Our data imply that the transformation of trxS gene could promote the degradation of protein, providing theoretic basis for the use of trxS gene and barley quality breeding.