Expression, Cloning, and Immunological Analysis of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) Seed Storage Proteins

cDNA of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) was isolated from immature seeds harvested 14 days after pollination. Two genes, designated FA02 and FA18, were found to encode legumin-like proteins and were expressed during seed development. The deduced amino acid sequence of FA02 was identical to the N-terminal amino acid domain of BW24KD, which was believed to be a major buckwheat allergen (Urisu, A.; Kondo, Y.; Morita, Y.; Yagi, E.; Tsuruta, M.; Yasaki, T.; Yamada, K.; Kuzuya, H.; Suzuki, M.; Titani, K.; Kurosawa, K. Isolation and characterization of a major allergen in buckwheat seeds. In Current Advances in Buckwheat Research; Shinshu University Press: Matsumoto, Japan, 1995; pp 965−974). It was predicted that FA02 would be cleaved to generate two separate components, a 41.3 kDa α-subunit and a 21 kDa β-subunit. Antiserum was raised against the deduced FA02 β-subunit, and immunoblotting of total protein from buckwheat seeds (F. esculentum M. and Fagopyrum tartaricum Gaertn.) revealed that several groups of proteins reacted with the antiserum. Polypeptides in the 23−25 kDa range displayed the greatest reactivity. Keywords: Fagopyrum esculentum M.; Fagopyrum tartaricum G.; buckwheat; legumin; allergen