Isolation and characterization of maize genes coding for zein proteins of the 21000 dalton size class

Cloning in lambda gt WES phage of EcoRI fragments from maize seedlings DNA led to the isolation of four fragments containing genes coding for 21000 dalton zein proteins. The zein genes, identified by electron microscopic analysis, do not contain intervening sequences detectable by this method. The flanking sequences were analyzed by restriction sites mapping and hybridization and showed areas of homology between each other and with sequences surrounding a previously isolated gene of the 19000 dalton zein class.