Primary structure and differential expression of β‐amylase in normal and mutant barleys

The primary structure of barley endosperm β‐amylase, an enzyme which catalyses the liberation of maltose from 1,4‐α‐D‐glucans, has been deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a cloned full‐length cDNA. The mRNA is 1754 nucleotides long [excluding the poly(A) tail] and codes for a polypeptide of 535 amino acids with a relative molecular mass of 59663. The deduced amino acid sequence was compared with the sequences of ten peptides obtained from the purified enzyme and unambiguous identification was obtained. The N‐terminal region of the deduced sequence was identical to a 12‐residue cyanogen‐bromide‐peptide sequence, indicating that β‐amylase is synthesized as the mature protein. A graphic matrix homology plot shows four glycine‐rich repeats, each of 11 residues, preceding the C‐terminus. Southern blotting of genomic DNA demonstrates that β‐amylase is encoded by a small gene family, while cDNA sequence analysis indicates the presence of at least two types of mRNA in the endosperm. Dot and northern blot analysis show that Hiproly barley contains greatly increased levels of β‐amylase mRNA compared to the normal cultivar Sundance, whereas Risø mutant 1508 contains only trace amounts. These results correlate well with the deposition of β‐amylase during endosperm development in these lines. Low but similar amounts of β‐amylase mRNAs sequences were detected in leaves and shoots from normal and mutant barleys, demonstrating that the mutant lys3a (1508) and lysl (Hiproly) genes do not affect the expression of β‐amylase in these tissues.