Transcripts encoding an oleosin and a dormancy-related protein are present in both the aleurone layer and the embryo of developing barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds.

In cereal seeds, the aleurone layer and the embryo share several characteristics, including synthesis and accumulation of lipid bodies, desiccation tolerance and dormancy. A number of Balem transcripts present in both the barley aleurone layer and the embryo have been cloned by differential screening of a cDNA library from aleurone layers of immature barley grains. The Balem clones constitute two subgroups, one for which the transcripts are detectable in aleurone layers and embryos of developing seeds only (B23D and B15C), and another for which transcripts are present also in germinating embryos and in maternal tissues (B12D, B14E and B31E). Sequence analysis identified B23D and B15C as the barley homologues of the 18 kDa oleosin of maize embryos (72% amino acid identity) and the dormancy-associated transcript pBS128 from Bromus secalinus (95% identity), respectively. In situ hybridization experiments demonstrate that in the embryo, the B23D transcript is mainly present in the scutellum, whereas the B15C transcript is predominantly present in shoot and root apices. Using anther-derived embryos and embryogenic cell suspensions, it is demonstrated that the B23D and B15C transcripts can be used as molecular markers for somatic embryogenesis. The functions of the transcripts in the second Balem subgroup remain unknown. Further studies on the Balem transcripts may shed light on the molecular basis for the extensive similarities between the embryo and the aleurone layer of the endosperm in the grass family.