Lysine is the first limiting essential amino acid in cereals for humans and monogastric animals, although its content is generally low. A chemically induced high-lysine barley mutant, M98, has an agronomically undesirable shrunken endosperm trait. In order to obtain detailed insight into the atypical traits of M98 grains, we characterized amino acid composition and protein profiles of M98 and its parent cultivar Chalssalbori. Among a total of 16 amino acids, the percentage of each of the 7 amino acids, including lysine, was 1.2~1.8 times higher in M98, comparing to Chalssalbori. The percentage of proline and its precursor, glutamic acid, in M98 was about the half of that of the amino acids in Chalssalbori, but arginine synthesized from glutamic acid was 1.8 times higher in M98, compared that in the parent cultivar. Theses results indicated that the mutation in M98 grains might alter the proportion of amino acids linked to each other in a biosynthetic pathway. A comparison of grain proteome profiles between Chalssalbori and M98 revealed 70 differentially expressed protein spots, where 45 protein spots were up-regulated and 25 protein spots down-regulated in M98 compared to those in Chalssalbori. Of these changed protein spots, 53 were identified using nano-electrospray ionization liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Most of these identified proteins were involved in various biological processes. In particular, 28 protein spots such as ${eta}$-amylase, serpins and B3-hordein were identified as proteins associated with the atypical traits of M98. It was thought that a genetic study on the unique protein profile of M98 would be needed to develop an agronomically feasible barley cultivar with high-lysine trait.