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Germination of mung beans (Phaseolus aureus, Roxb.) is accompanied by an increase in the activity of the endopeptidase involved in storage protein metabolism. Enzyme activity in the cotyledons increases 25-fold during the first 5 days of germination. The cotyledons also contain inhibitory activity against the endopeptidase, and this inhibitory activity declines during germination, suggesting that inhibitors may play a role in regulating the activity of the endopeptidase.The inhibitory activity against the mung bean endopeptidase is due to the presence of two inhibitors which can be separated by chromatography on Sephadex G-100. The two inhibitors have approximate molecular weights of 12,000 and smaller than 2,000 daltons. The large inhibitor coelutes with trypsin inhibitor on Sephadex G-100, but these two inhibitory activities can be separated by means of a trypsin affinity column.The inhibitory activity disappears slowly from crude extracts incubated at 6 C and more rapidly when the extracts are incubated at 25 C or 37 C. The disappearance of inhibitory activity is accompanied by a rise of the endopeptidase activity, but an examination of the kinetics of these two phenomena suggests that they are not causally related. Fractionation of the cellular organelles on sucrose gradients shows that the inhibitory activity is not associated with the protein bodies, but rather with the cytosol. Our results suggest that the endopeptidase inhibitor(s) does not regulate the increase in endopeptidase activity which accompanies germination or the metabolism of storage protein. We, therefore, postulate that the inhibitor(s) may function in protecting the cytoplasm from accidental rupturing of the protease-containing protein bodies.

Trypsin inhibitor was purified to homogeneity from seeds of the mung bean (Vigna radiata [L.] Wilczek). The protease inhibitor has the following properties: inhibitory activity toward trypsin, but not toward chymotrypsin; isoelectric point at pH 5.05; molecular weight of 11,000 to 12,000 (sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis) or 14,000 (gel filtration); immunological cross-reactivity against extracts of black gram and black-eyed pea, but not against soybean; no inhibitory activity against vicilin peptidohydrolase, the principal endopeptidase in the cotyledons of mung bean seedlings.The trypsin inhibitor content of the cotyledons declines in the course of seedling growth and the presence of an inactivating factor can be demonstrated by incubating crude extracts in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol. This inactivating factor may be a protease as vicilin peptidohydrolase rapidly inactivates the trypsin inhibitor. Removal of trypsin inhibitory activity from crude extracts by means of a trypsin affinity column does not result in an enhancement of protease activity in the extracts.The intracellular localization of trypsin inhibitor was determined by fractionation of crude extracts on isopycnic sucrose gradients and by cytochemistry with fluorescent antibodies. Both methods indicate that trypsin inhibitor is associated with the cytoplasm and not with the protein bodies where reserve protein hydrolysis occurs. No convincing evidence was obtained which indicates that the catabolism of trypsin inhibitor during germination and seedling growth is causally related to the onset of reserve protein breakdown.