Major fraction (60%) of seed storage protein in maize is zein which determines the quality of food and feed. Zeins comprise four subfamilies e.g., α , β, γ and δ zeins. Among these, α-zeins are the major prolamin subunits in maize. α-zeins are rich in glutamine, leucine and proline but, deficient in essential amino acids like lysine and tryptophan causing malnutrition. The opaque-2 (o2)-a natural recessive mutation in maize led to nearly double the lysine and tryptophan content in endosperm due to a decrease in the synthesis of zein proteins and increase in the other seed protein bound lysine and tryptophan. RNAi studies proved down regulation of 22kD zeins than the 19kD component as the biochemical basis of QPM phenotype. However, the opaque-2 mutation made the endosperm chalky and soft resulting damaged kernel while harvesting, poor germination, increased susceptibility to pest and diseases, inferior for food processing and in general reduced yield. Later, combining opaque-2 allele with its desirable genetic modifiers made it possible to breed QPM genotypes having hard kernel with high lysine and tryptophan content. Since, opaque-2 is a recessive mutation and endosperm specific, and biochemical analysis of lysine and tryptophan content is expensive; conventional backcross breeding alone is inefficient for the nutritional enrichment of maize. However, use of opaque-2 gene specific markers provided excellent opportunities for conversion of elite normal inbreds to homozygous o2/o2 forms through marker assisted selection (MAS). In India, Vivek QPM-9: a hybrid of two QPM introgression lines is being widely used for commercial cultivation.
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