Invertase Activity in Normal and Mutant Maize Endosperms during Development

A bound invertase and two soluble invertases are found in the developing endosperm of maize (Zea mays L.). The two soluble invertases can be separated on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose and Sephadex columns and distinguished by their kinetic constants. One soluble invertase, invertase I, is present from the 10- to 28-day stages of endosperm development with maximal activity per normal endosperm at the 12-day stage. In two endosperm mutant lines, shrunken-1 and shrunken-2, there is a second increase in invertase I activity later in development which could be a secondary effect caused by the abnormal metabolism in these lines. Another soluble invertase, invertase II, is present in the embryo upon germination and is also found in the very young developing endosperm (6-day stage). The third form of invertase, bound invertase, is present in the endosperm by the 6-day stage, and its activity remains approximately constant during development.