Cloning and characterization of complementary DNA for convicilin, a major seed storage protein in Pisum sativum L.

A complementary DNA (cDNA) clone for convicilin, a major storage protein, has been isolated from a cDNA library prepared in the plasmid vector pAT 153, using poly(A)(+)RNA from developing seeds of Pisum sativum L. The clone was identified by hybrid-selection with poly(A)(+) RNA, translation of selected RNAs and immunoprecipitation of the translation products by antibody raised against purified convicilin subunits. The size of the mRNA coding for convicilin polypeptides has been established using this convicilin cDNA clone and has been found to be appreciably longer than the mRNAs coding for the polypeptides of vicilin, a related but separate storage protein. The insert from this convicilin cDNA clone has been compared with the insert from a vicilin cDNA clone by restriction enzyme analysis.