INHERITANCE OF GLYCININ SUBUNITS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GLYCININ MOLECULES LACKING THE SUBUNITS IN SOYBEAN (GLYCINE-MAX (L) MERR)

We report the inheritance of the 11S globulin (glycinin) subunits and results of evaluating progenies lacking these subunits in order to bre ed soybean varieties having different glycinin subunit compositions. F -2 seeds from a cross between a mutant soybean line lacking group I (A (1a)B(2), A(1b)B(1b) and A(2)B(1a)) and A(5)A(4)B(3) subunits and a wi ld soybean (Glycine soja) accession lacking A(3)B(4) subunit were exam ined for glycinin subunits by SDS-PAGE. The segregation for the presen ce or absence of the glycinin subunits fitted well for independent inh eritance among the three loci containing the group I, A(5)A(4)B(3) and A(3)B(4) subunit genes, respectively. Due to this fact, we propose he re that the group II including A(5)A(4)B(3) and A(3)B(4) subunits can be classified into two subgroups, IIa (A(5)A(4)B(3) subunit) and IIb ( A(3)B(4) subunit), F-1 plants obtained from a cross between cv, Tamaho mare having the group I and IIb subunits and a breeding line having on ly group IIa subunit were the source of F-2 seeds, The elution peak of globulin concentrate obtained from the F-2 seeds having one of the su bunit groups gave two major peaks at a position nearly corresponding t o those of cv, Fukuyutaka on gel filtration and glycinin was found to be present in the second peak, The partially purified glycinin by gel filtration reacted with the anti glycinin serum to give single precipi tin lines on an Ouchterlony plate, Glycinin of F-2 seeds having only t he group I reacted with the serum to fuse almost completely with a pre cipitin line from Fukuyutaka, However, glycinin of F-2 seeds lacking t he group I completely, showed only partial fusion. These results sugge st that although each subunit can assemble to form a glycinin like pro tein, there are considerable immunological differences between globuli n having the group I and those lacking this subunit.