Oat (Avena sadva L.) seed globuln was extracted from pound caryopses with 1 M NaCI, 0.05 M Tris(hydroxymethyl)antnoethane (pH 8.5) at room temperature. The globulin had a sedimentation constant of 12.1, and a molecular weight of 322,000, as determined by analytical ultracentrifugation. The globulin could be separated into two major subunits by sodiumdodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electropboresis. Molecular weights of the subunits were 21,700 (a) and 31,700 (p8), and they were present in equimolar amounts. A subunit model of 6a and 6p8 per molecule of globulin is proposed. Amino acid analysis ilndicated that the a subunit contained more basic amino acids and aspartic acid/asparagine but less glutamic acid/glutamine and glycine than the p subunit.In oat (Avena sativa L.) kernels, the primary storage protein is classified as a globulin because of its solubility in dilute salt solution but insolubility in water (1). The globulin fraction accounts for the majority of total seed protein (1,13,14). The alcohol-soluble prolamin fraction, which is the major seed storage protein in most cereals, is very low in oats (1,6,11,13,14).In To determine the solubility of oat globulin under various conditions, the defatted flour was extracted with 1 M NaCl, 0.05 M Tris (pH 8.5) at a ratio of 100 ml/g, using magnetic stirring at room temperature for 1 to 2 hr. The extract was centrifuged for 20 min at 23 C and 27,000g, and the supernatant was dialyzed against two changes of distilled H20 at 4 C, precipitating the globulin. Ten-ml aliquots of the dialysate were centrifuged as above, but at 1 C to collect the suspended globulin precipitate. The various test solutions (1.5 ml) were added, and a Vortex mixer and ultrasonic bath were used at 23 C to achieve maximum dissolution. The solutions were centrifuged at 23 C and 27,000g for 20 min to pellet the undissolved protein, and the supernatants were assayed for protein (9) using BSA (Sigma, fraction V) as the standard.The globulin was normally prepared by extraction and dialysis as described above, and the dialysate was freeze-dried to recover the globulin from suspension. The dried globulin was stored indefinitely at -20 C.Analytical Ultracentrifugation. The oat globulin was dissolved in 0.5 M NaCl, 0.05 M Tris (pH 8.5) at a concentration of 3.2 mg/ml for sedimentation velocity analysis at 40,000 rpm and 20C on a Spinco model E ultracentrifuge. S20, was determined as described by Svedberg and Pedersen (18). For mol wt estimation, a sedimentation equilibrium analysis was done at 10,589 rpm, 20 C, for 10 hr. Partial specific volume was estimated by summation of the products of partial specific volume and weight per cent of each amino acid (16). Mol Wt Estimation by Polyacrylamide Gel Electropboresis. Oat globulin was solubilized in Triton X-100 and electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels containing 4 to 10% acrylamide. The procedures of Hearing et al. (7)