DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE-DEPENDENT VARIATION OF THE LEVELS OF GLOBULAR STORAGE PROTEIN AND ASPARTIC ENDOPROTEASE DURING RIPENING AND GERMINATIONOF THEOBROMA-CACAO L SEEDS

Polyclonal antibodies were raised against the purified large subunits of the aspartic endoprotease and the 7S globulin of cocoa seeds. The a ntibody against the large subunit of the 7S globulin was found to cros s-react with all of the 7S globulin subunits, whereas the antiserum ra ised against the large subunit of the aspartic endoprotease did not re cognize the small polypeptide of the enzyme. Both antibodies were used to comparatively investigate the developmental stage-dependent variat ions of the levels of both proteins during seed ripening and germinati on. The aspartic endoprotease and the globular storage protein were fo und to be coordinatively accumulated during seed development of two cl ones of Theobroma cacao L. (ICS 95 and KKM 4) differing in the time co urse of fruit ripening. Maximal levels of the aspartic endoprotease an d the 7S globulin were reached between 110 and 130 days after tagging in the case of clone ICS 95, whereas the same amounts of both proteins were accumulated in the seeds of done KKM 4 already 90 days after tag ging. During seed germination, the amounts of 7S globulin decreased af ter a lag phase of 7 days after imbibition, whereas the amount and the activity of the aspartic endoprotease remained constant.