Abstract
THE opaque-2 mutant gene of corn has been shown to change the amino acid composition of corn protein. Mertz (1963) reported that a strain homozygous for the recessive mutant gene had a lysine content in the endosperm twice that of a typical hybrid corn. On analysis of endosperms from the same ear of corn, Mertz et al. (1964) observed a 69% increase in the lysine content of the protein of opaque-2 endosperm, as compared with the protein of normal endosperm. Opaque-2 endosperm contained less glutamic acid, alanine, methionine, leucine, tyrosine, and more histidine, arginine, aspartic acid, glycine, and cystine as compared with normal endosperm. Mertz et al. (1965) reported that whole defatted kernels of opaque-2 corn had twice the lysine content of whole defatted kernels of a standard hybrid corn. Both corns contained approximately 10.6% crude protein. These differences were attributed to the reduction in the ratio of zein to …
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