Protein metabolism in rice seedling

The relationship between protein synthesis and degradation in germinating rice seed were studied with protein synthetic inhibitors. Both DNP and 8-AG inhibited the degradation of glutelin, the major storage protein in rice seed, while the inhibitors had no direct effect in the activity of rice seed proteinllse in vitro. The prevention can be partly ascribed to the Inhibition of proteinase synthesis because the inhibitors depressed the increase in proteinase activity during germination. When DNP treatment was started at the onset of germination, the degradation of glutelin in the endosperm was seriously inhibited and the endosperm remained rigid over 9 days of incubation at 30°C. In contrast, the inhibition was less efficient clent when the treatment was started in the later stage. It is suggested that the degradation of the storage protein in rice seed depends on the synthetic process of the hydrolytic enzymes which increase during germination. disintegrate the compartmentation of the endosperm and allow the storage proteins to come in contact with the existing proteinases