Abstract
Storage proteins are synthesized on rER as larger precursors, and then are transported by vesicle-mediated pathway to protein-storage vacuoles where they are processed to mature forms. Since a large amount of the storage proteins are synthesized and transported, it is easy to monitor the dynamics of the storage proteins. We have isolated and characterized Arabidopsis mutants that exhibit some defects in the transport of the storage proteins. maigo (mag) mutants were isolated by monitoring the presence of precursors of the storage proteins with gel electrophoresis, whereas green fluorescent seed (gfs) mutants were isolated by the intensity of GFP fluorescence of dry seeds. The storage proteins are the only one example that can easily detect the transport defects among authentic vacuolar proteins. We are now investigating the significance of membrane traffic on plant growth and development.
