Influence of storage conditions on protein profile of pepper seeds, analyzed by SDS-PAGE.

Seeds were stored under variable conditions for long or short periods of time at 5 degrees C or 25 degrees C after which they were germinated and total proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. An 80 KDa protein was expressed only in the seeds that had been recently harvested (1 year storage period). A protein of 60 KDa was detected in much higher amounts in the seeds harvested in 1987 and stored at 5 degrees C for 14 years, as well as in seeds harvested in 2000 compared with the seeds harvested in 1989 and stored at 25 degrees C for 12 years. A 50 KDa protein was present in the seeds harvested in 1987 and stored at 5 degrees C, as well as in the seeds harvested in 2000 but not in the seeds harvested in 1989 and stored at 25 degrees C. It is proposed that SDS-PAGE can be used to identify proteins in germinating pepper seeds, that vary with the storage conditions. Such information could be of value for seed control and the evaluation of seed vigour.