cDNA sequence and deduced primary structure of an alpha-amylase inhibitor from a bruchid-resistant wild common bean

alpha-Amylase inhibitor-2 (alpha AI-2), a seed storage protein present in a bruchid-resistant wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), inhibits the growth of bruchid pests. The authors isolated and determined the sequence of an 852 nucleotide cDNA, designated as alpha ai2, and found it to contain a 720 base open reading frame (ORF). This ORF encodes a 240 amino-acid alpha AI-2 polypeptide 75.8% identical with alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 (alpha AI-1) and 50.6-55.6% with arcelin-1, phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-L and PHA-E of common bean. The high degree of sequence homology suggests that there is an evolutionary relationship among these genes.