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Abstract

The glossy2 (gl2) gene of maize participates to the synthesis- deposition of the juvenile epidermal wax layer of maize leaves. In this paper, the expression of the gene was analysed at the RNA mid protein levels. The results showed that in wild type plants the gl2 gene is transcribed in young leaves, in coleoptiles, in husks, in immature ears mid in silks. Neither transcripts were found in roots of wild type plants nor in any tissues of plants homozygous for tile recessive gl2-ref allele. Antibodies against the gl2 protein revealed its predominant, presence in leaves with a juvenile wax phenotype mid protein detection was consistent with e transcription in wild type coleoptiles, husks, immature cars and silks, but not in roots, anthers and seeds. Sequence data hank analysis revealed homologies of the gl2 protein of maize with eighteen sequences from several plants Species. Four of these proteins are induced in species different from maize during the hypersensitive response to plant pathogens. One protein is present in maize silks. A further set of four proteins represent polypeptides responsible for CoA-dependent acyl transfer in plants. The results provided contribute to assign a putative function to the gl2 gene.