MOLECULAR-CLONING AND EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF CU ZN-SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASES IN DEVELOPING SOYBEAN SEEDS/

Assuming that the amount of superoxide radicals generated in vivo corr elates with the production of ergastic substances such as storage prot eins, the coordinated response of detoxication enzymes such as superox ide dismutases is largely exploited to understand the self-defense sys tems of plant. Here we examined expression of the genes for superoxide dismutases during seed development of soybean. The cDNAs encoding a c ytosolic copper/zinc form and an iron form of the above enzyme have be en cloned and then employed as probes, separately. Northern blotting r esults suggested that both superoxide dismutase mRNAs are expressed at the maximum level, preceding a developmental stage when mRNA encoding glycinin, soybean 11S-storage protein, at the maximum.