Dioscorins are the major tuber storage proteins of yam and have the characteristics of tuber specific expression. Dioscorins have the characteristics of general storage proteins but also exhibit biological activities, including carbonic anhydrase, trypsin inhibitor, antioxidant, antihypertensive and immunomodulatory activities. Moreover, may be involved in the formation of the yam tuber, as pharmaceutical proteins. Here we review the recent studies of dioscorin proteins, including their structural features, characterization, function and research progress in molecular biology.