The B-hordein prolamin family of barley

The spectrum of B-hordein prolamins and genes in the single barley cultivar Barke is described from an in silico analysis of 1452 B-hordein ESTs and available genomic DNA. Eleven unique B-hordein proteins are derived from EST contigs. Ten contigs encode apparent full-length B-hordeins and the eleventh contains a premature stop codon that will lead to a truncated B-hordein. The 11 sequences are placed within the two previously described classes, i.e., the B1- and B3-type B-hordeins. The number of ESTs assigned to each sequence is used as an estimate of relative gene transcription and expression. Three of the sequences account for 79% of the total ESTs, with one sequence comprises 32% of the total ESTs and has a variant C-terminus caused by an undefined sequence change history near the 3' coding terminus. The 70x difference in EST distribution among sequences points to the importance of understanding differential rates of expression within closely related gene families. Analysis of available genomic sequences confirms the EST assembly and reveals one full-length and two partial sequences of pseudogenes as evidenced by no matching ESTs for the sequences and premature stop codons and frame shifts.