Another class of vicilin gene in Pisum

Abstract

We describe a novel class of vicilin gene in Pisum corresponding to a precursor polypeptide of Mr 68000. The mRNA corresponding to this polypeptide accumulates during seed development in a pattern similar to that of convicilin. Hybridization and sequence analyses show that this vicilin gene class is less homologous to other Pisum vicilin gene classes than these last are to each other. Gene-copy-number estimates and decreased stringency hybridizations of the gene class described here show that the Pisum vicilin gene family is bigger and more complex than hitherto reported.