Seed structure bean germination

Among the compounds that have been isolated from the brassins were a new group of glucosyl esters of fatty acids, the structures of which were established by spectral methods (254, 255) as well as by chemical and biochemical synthesis (256, 257, 258). Although these esters were much less active than brassinolide in the bean second internode bioassay, their presence may be essential for seed germination since the enzymatic synthesis of these esters was correlated to germination (257, 258). 

A non specific lipid transfer protein (ns-LTP) which enhances the transfer of both phospholipids and galactolipids between biomembranes has been purified from germinated castor bean seeds (Watanabe 1906) and its primary structure has been determined to be 9.3 KD-protein with 92 amino acid residues (Takishima 1986). We now call this nsLTP-9A, because isoforms of nsLTP-9A have been found in the same materials. This paper represents the occurrence of ns-LTP isoforms in germinated castor bean tissues. Materials and Methods... 

Fig. 3 ghows predicted conformational profiles of PC-specific LTP from bovine liver and non-specific LTP from germinated castor bean seeds according to Chou and Fasman. The repeated pattern of g-structure in the latter region of the amino acid sequence is characteristic of bovine liver LTP, whereas there is no repeated g-structure in the latter region of castor bean LTP. This suggests difference in the interaction of the protein with the lipid between specific and non-specific LTPs, and therefore, difference in transport mechanism between both types of LTPs. 

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