The N- and C-terminal regions regulate the transport of wheat gamma-gliadin through the endoplasmic reticulum in Xenopus oocytes.

Following sequestration into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), wheat storage proteins are naturally either retained and packaged into protein bodies within this organelle or exported to the Golgi apparatus. To identify protein domains that control the sorting of wheat storage proteins within the ER, a wild-type gamma-gliadin storage protein as well as two of its deletion mutants, each bearing either of the two autonomous N- and C-terminal regions, were expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Our results demonstrated that the N-terminal region of the gliadin, which is composed of several tandem repeats of the consensus sequence PQQPFPQ, was entirely retained within the ER and accumulated in dense protein bodies. In contrast, the C-terminal autonomous region was efficiently secreted to the medium. The wild-type gamma-gliadin, containing both regions, was secreted at a lower rate and less efficiently than its C-terminal region. These results suggest that sorting of the wheat gamma-gliadin within the ER may be determined by a balance between two opposing signals: one functions in the retention and packaging of the storage protein within the ER, while the second renders the protein competent for export from this organelle to the Golgi apparatus.