IDENTIFICATION AND GENETIC CONTROL OF STARCH-DEGRADING ENZYMES IN MAIZE ENDOSPERM

Three starch-degrading enzymes from liquid endosperm of maize have been separated by means of horizontal acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The three enzymes are tentatively identified as α-amylase (zone 1), β-amylase (zone 2), and α-glucan phosphorylase (zone 3). Electrophoretic variants of these enzymes were found among ten inbred strains examined. Results of genetic crosses with respect to zone 2 amylase show that it is controlled by a pair of alleles (Amy-2A and Amy-2B) acting without dominance. It further appears that Amy-2 and Ct (catalase) are linked with 5% recombination frequency. © 1969 Plenum Publishing Corporation.