This invention relates to isolated nucleic acid fragments encoding all or a substantial portion of maize glutathione-S-transferase (GST) enzymes involved in the detoxification of xenobiotic compounds in plants and seeds. The invention also relates to the construction of chimeric genes encoding all or a substantial portion of maize GST enzymes, host cells transformed with those genes and methods of the recombinant production of maize GST enzymes. Methods of constructing transgenic plants having altered levels of GST enzymes and screens for identifying maize GST enzyme substrates and maize GST enzyme inhibitor, are also provided.