Abstract
BackgroundThe oat seed storage proteins are mainly composed of two classes: the globulins and avenins. Among the major cereals, the globulins are the major seed protein class in rice and oats, and along with the higher protein content of oats is the basis for the relative higher nutrition content in oats compared to the other cereals. The second major class of oat seed proteins is the avenins; also classified as prolamins – seed proteins high in proline and glutamine amino acids. The prolamins are associated with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. In spite of their importance, neither the oat globulins nor the avenins have been completely analyzed and described for any single germplasm.ResultsUsing available EST resources for a single hexaploid oat cultivar, the spectrum of avenin and globulin sequences are described for the gene coding regions and the derived protein sequences. The nine unique avenin sequences are suggested to be divided into 3–4 distinct subclasses distributed in the hexaploid genome. The globulins from the same germplasm include 24 distinct sequences. Variation in globulin size results mainly from a glutamine-rich domain, similar to as in the avenins, and to variation in the C-terminal sequence domain. Two globulin genes have premature stop codons that shorten the resulting polypeptides by 9 and 17 amino acids, and eight of the globulin sequences form a branch of the globulins not previously reported.ConclusionsA more complete description of the major oat seed proteins should allow a more thorough analysis of their contributions to those oat seed characteristics related to nutritional value, evolutionary history, and celiac disease association.
Highlights
The plant seed proteins provide reserves for the development of the seedling after germination
The globulins are the major protein seed component for oats (Avena sativa) and rice, while the prolamins are the predominate form in maize, sorghum, and the Triticeae tribe [1]
The prolamin component of the oat seed, the avenins, shares the basic feature of other cereal prolamins as being polypeptides relatively rich in proline and glutamine. It is these regions of the amino acid sequences that are associated with the elicitation of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the gastrointestinal tract [5]
Summary
The plant seed proteins provide reserves for the development of the seedling after germination. Since the globulins have a more favorable composition of essential amino acids, and since oat seeds have a higher protein content than rice, oats are generally considered to possess higher basic nutritional quality than the other major cereals [4]. The prolamin component of the oat seed, the avenins, shares the basic feature of other cereal prolamins as being polypeptides relatively rich in proline and glutamine. It is these regions of the amino acid sequences that are associated with the elicitation of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the gastrointestinal tract [5]. In spite of their importance, neither the oat globulins nor the avenins have been completely analyzed and described for any single germplasm
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