38-48 kDa subunits of buckwheat 13S globulins are controlled by a single locus

Abstract

The inheritance of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) seed storage proteins was investigated by control crosses between accessions containing different SDS-PAGE protein patterns in the range of 38–48 kDa. Analysis of segregation of individual F1 and F2 seeds obtained by 17 crosses showed segregation of eight electrophoretic bands, from which 12-banding variants were inferred. Two variants contained one band, nine contained two bands and one variant contained three bands and behaved as a single co-dominant unit. The segregation of banding variants fits the expected ratios and thus supports the hypothesis of single Mendelian gene inheritance and that alleles are co-dominant. The results therefore suggest that the genes controlling globulin subunits are tightly linked and inherited as a single locus. The locus was designated Glob-1 and the twelve segregated protein variants as alleles a-l. This is the first buckwheat globulin locus identified with multiple alleles, phenotypically expressed as groups of protein bands and thus applicable as a functional marker in buckwheat genomic studies.