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Puroindoline A and B are believed to play a critical role in wheat grain texture. The puroindoline genes are genetically linked to the wheat grain hardness locus. A mutation in either of these genes is linked with wheat grain of hard texture. Grain of softer texture requires less energy to mill and results in flours of smaller particle size with less starch damage. To assess the ability of the purondolines to modify grain texture of cereals we have created a population of transgenic rice containing these genes under the control of maize ubiquitin promoter. Rice cultivar M202 was transformed with the wheat pinA and pinB genes through the particle bombardment method. The incorporation of the puroindoline gene (s) into the rice genome was confirmed by PCR and southern blotting analysis. Stable expression was tested with their transcripts by northern and proteins by ELISA until T3 homozygous seeds. Texture analysis of mature seeds indicated that expression of pinA and/or pinB was associated with transgenic lines having seeds up to 30% softer than control. After milling, the softer rice seeds had lower levels of starch damage and an increased number of fine flour particles.