Levels of starch and soluble sugar in pods of Phaseolus vulgaris andVigna mungoplants were analyzed during the course of maturation of fruits. The results suggest that the immature pods ofP. vulgarisfunction to some extent as temporary reservoirs of carbohydrates for growth of seeds. A less clear pattern of accumulation of starch was observed in pods of maturing fruits ofVigna mungo. Measurements of a-amylase activites in pods of maturing fruits and immunoblotting with an antiserum againstα-amylase fromV. mungocotyledons suggested that the enzyme participates in the mobilization of starch that is stored in pods of both species. High levels of expression ofα-amylase of the same molecular size as that found in pods were observed in cotyledons of germinating seeds of both species. The results indicate that only one form ofα-amylase, with respect to molecular size, is expressed in pods of the maturing fruits, as it is in the cotyledons and other organs of seedlings ofP. vulgaris and V. mun
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