Precursors of storage proteins in Lupinus angustifolius

The proteins that are synthesized during differentiation and development in the cotyledons of Lupinus angustifolius L. were characterized both in situ and after purification. The proteins present in situ were separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and subjected to 'Western'-blot analysis to identify immunologically related polypeptides. The major storage proteins of the lupin, conglutins alpha and beta, were both present in juvenile tissue only as higher Mr precursors. For conglutin beta, a family of at least three polypeptides of Mr 66 000-72 000 accumulated during the earliest phases of protein synthesis in the developing cotyledon (20-28 days after flowering). Later in development each of these polypeptides disappeared and there was the concurrent appearance in the cotyledon of the lower-Mr fragments characteristic of mature conglutin beta. For conglutin alpha, an equivalent family of precursor polypeptides of Mr 60 000-83 000 was detected. Multiple internal sites for proteolytic cleavage of all these precursors appeared to be present. However, processing of the precursors was sufficiently slow to allow them to accumulate to over 50% of total soluble protein in juvenile tissue. The precursors were purified by column chromatography under non-dissociating conditions and shown by ultracentrifugation to be multimeric proteins with Mr values in the range 150 000-200 000.