Developmental changes of chlorophyll-protein complexes (CPs) and plastid membrane proteins in greening mung bean cotyledons and the effect of spermine thereon were examined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The changes in the amounts of CPs became larger with the progress of greening and light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein (LHCP) was the main CP in the early greening stage up to 48 h. As the greening proceeded, chlorophyll-protein of the photosystem I (CPI) accumulated. Application of spermine were effective in accumulating CPs of the thylakoid membrane in the early phase of greening. In the profiles of the plastid membrane proteins, quantitative and qualitative changes were observed with the onset of greening up to 72 h. 56 kD protein of major intensity was observed in all greened chloroplasts and 24 kD protein increased remarkablly in both control and spermine-treated cotyledons. The thylakoids from spermine-treated cotyledons showed higher amounts of thylakoid proteins as compared to the controls. The results suggest that spermine may play a role in the regulation of plastid development and stabilizes the membrane function during greening.