Detection of y-type Subunit at theGlu-A1Locus in Some Swedish Bread Wheat Lines

Abstract

Abstract Electrophoretic and reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP–HPLC) analyses were performed on gluten proteins extracted from flours milled from two different Swedish bread wheat lines; these lines have been reported to possess a novel highMrglutenin subunit controlled by a gene at theGlu-A1locus, referred to as 21*. Although RP–HPLC indicated that subunit 21* has a surface hydrophobocity similar to that of the commonly occurring allelic subunits 1 or 2*, it differs from them in isoelectric point, being more basic when analysed by two dimensional gel electrophoresis (IEF/SDS–PAGE). RP–HPLC separations of highMrglutenin subunits showed the presence of an additional peak, the behaviour of which was similar to that of y-type subunits encoded by genes at theGlu-A1ylocus and present only in wild wheatsT. urartu(AA) orT. dicoccoides(AABB). Based on chromatographic results and on the tight linkage observed with subunit 21*, it is suggested that the additional component (indicated as 21*y), present in the breeding lines analysed, corresponds to the y-type subunit encoded at theGlu-A1locus. Genes encoding the subunits 21* and 21*y were also analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Contrary to what was observed for the polypeptide itself, the gene corresponding to subunit 21* was similar in size to that encoding subunit 2* and shorter than that corresponding to subunit 1. Moreover, the amplification product corresponding to the active 21*y gene was shorter than that of the allelic inactive gene present in the bread wheat cultivar Cheyenne. As reported for other highMrglutenin subunits, gene size differences observed were due to a different length of the repetitive region. Because cultivated polyploid wheats have been shown to have only the x-type subunit at theGlu-A1locus, it is speculated that the new combination, with both x- and y-type subunits expressed, might have been introgressed during breeding processes from the wild wheat progenitorsT. urartuorT. dicoccoides, which have genotypes expressing both types of subunits.