Figure 1.

Transformation of the 24-kDa α-zein gene into transgenic maize plants leads to synthesis of the encoded protein and overexpression of BiP. Analysis of 3 of 17 independent transgenic lines is shown. One normal and one floury kernel from transgenic lines 236300 (lanes 3 and 4), 236133 (lanes 5 and 6), and 236294 (lanes 7 and 8) were analyzed and compared with kernels from the untransformed (lane 1, P1), the untransformed parent outcrossed to a normal inbred (lane 2, P1 × P2), and W64Afl2 (lane 9) plants. (A) Using PCR primers specific to the 24-kDa α-zein gene, a 560-bp DNA fragment was amplified from genomic DNA of seedlings germinated from floury kernels, but not wild-type kernels. (B) An immunoblot of α-zeins shows a 24-kDa protein band (indicated by arrowheads) in samples from floury kernels, but not wild-type kernels. (C) An immunoblot of the 70-kDa maize homolog of BiP.