Subcellular localization of type-I thionins in the endosperms of wheat and barley.

Abstract

Thionins are cysteine-rich polypeptides of about 5,000 Da. Localization at the subcellular level of type I endosperm thionins has been carried out by immunogold labeling, using an antibody that recognizes type I thionin variants. In developing wheat and barley caryopses, sectioned at different times between 13 and 24 days after flowering, this type of thionins was only detected around protein bodies from cells of the starchy endosperm, using light microscopy. Electron microscopy revealed that these proteins were located in electron-dense spheroids in the periphery of protein bodies, at the earlier stages, whereas later the label appeared also as a thin layer around these organelles.