The wheat D-genome HMW-glutenin locus: BAC sequencing,gene distribution,and retrotransposon clusters

A bacterial-artificial-chromosome (BAC) clone from the genome of Triticum tauschii, the D-genome ancestor of hexaploid bread wheat, was sequenced and the presence of the two paralogous x- and y-type high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin genes of the Glu-D1 locus was confirmed. These two genes occur in the same orientation, are 51,893 bp apart, and the separating DNA includes a 31,000-bp cluster of retrotransposons. A second retrotransposon cluster of 32,000 bp follows the x-type HMW-glutenin gene region. Each HMW-glutenin gene is found within a region of mainly unique DNA sequence which includes multiple additional genes including an active endosperm globulin gene not previously reported in the Triticeae family, a leucine-rich-repeat (LRR) type gene truncated at the 5′ end of the BAC, a kinase gene of unknown activity, remnants of a paralogous second globulin gene, and genes similar to two hypothetical rice genes. The newly identified globulin genes are assigned to a locus designated Glo-2. Comparison to available orthologous regions of the wheat A and B genomes show rapid sequence divergences flanking the HMW-glutenin genes, and the absence of two hypothetical and unknown genes found 5′ to the B-genome x-type ortholog. The region surrounding the Glu-D1 locus is similar to other reported Triticeae BAC sequences; i.e. small gene islands separated by retrotransposon clusters. Electronic Publication     

Structural organization of the barley D-hordein locus in comparison with its orthologous regions of wheat genomes.

D hordein, a prolamin storage protein of barley endosperms, is highly homologous to the high molecular weight (HWM) glutenin subunits, which are the major determinants of bread-making quality in wheat flour. In hexaploid wheat (AABBDD), each genome contains two paralogous copies of HMW-glutenin genes that encode the x- and y-type HMW-glutenin subunits. Previously, we reported the sequence analysis of a 102-kb genomic region that contains the HMW-glutenin locus of the D genome from Aegilops tauschii, the donor of the D genome of hexaploid wheat. Here, we present the sequence analysis of a 120-kb D-hordein region of the barley genome, a more distantly related member of the Triticeae grass tribe. Comparative sequence analysis revealed that gene content and order are generally conserved. Genes included in both of these orthologous regions are arranged in the following order: a Xa21-like receptor kinase, an endosperm globulin, an HMW prolamin, and a serine (threonine) protein kinase. However, in the wheat D genome, a region containing both the globulin and HMW-glutenin gene was duplicated, indicating that this duplication event occurred after the separation of the wheat and barley genomes. The intergenic regions are divergent with regard to the sequence and structural organization. It was found that different types of retroelements are responsible for the intergenic structure divergence in the wheat and barley genomes. In the barley region, we identified 16 long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons in three distinct nested clusters. These retroelements account for 63% of the contig sequence. In addition, barley D hordein was compared with wheat HMW glutenins in terms of cysteine residue conservation and repeat domain organization.     

Rapid genome evolution revealed by comparative sequence analysis of orthologous regions from four triticeae genomes

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is an allohexaploid species, consisting of three subgenomes (A, B, and D). To study the molecular evolution of these closely related genomes, we compared the sequence of a 307-kb physical contig covering the high molecular weight (HMW)-glutenin locus from the A genome of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum, AABB) with the orthologous regions from the B genome of the same wheat and the D genome of the diploid wheat Aegilops tauschii (Anderson et al., 2003; Kong et al., 2004). Although gene colinearity appears to be retained, four out of six genes including the two paralogous HMW-glutenin genes are disrupted in the orthologous region of the A genome. Mechanisms involved in gene disruption in the A genome include retroelement insertions, sequence deletions, and mutations causing in-frame stop codons in the coding sequences. Comparative sequence analysis also revealed that sequences in the colinear intergenic regions of these different genomes were generally not conserved. The rapid genome evolution in these regions is attributable mainly to the large number of retrotransposon insertions that occurred after the divergence of the three wheat genomes. Our comparative studies indicate that the B genome diverged prior to the separation of the A and D genomes. Furthermore, sequence comparison of two distinct types of allelic variations at the HMW-glutenin loci in the A genomes of different hexaploid wheat cultivars with the A genome locus of durum wheat indicates that hexaploid wheat may have more than one tetraploid ancestor.     

Conservation in wheat high-molecular-weight glutenin gene promoter sequences: comparisons among loci and among alleles of the GLU-B1-1 locus

 The high-molecular-weight glutenin (HMW) genes and encoded subunits are known to be critical for wheat quality characteristics and are among the best-studied cereal research subjects. Two lines of experiments were undertaken to further understand the structure and high expression levels of the HMW-glutenin gene promoters. Cross hybridizations of clones of the paralogous x-type and y-type HMW-glutenin genes to a complete set of six genes from a single cultivar showed that each type hybridizes best within that type. The extent of hybridization was relatively restricted to the coding and immediate flanking DNA sequences. Additional DNA sequences were determined for four published members of the HMW-glutenin gene family (encoding subunits Ax2^*, Bx7, Dx5, and Dy10) and showed that the flanking DNA of the examined genes diverge at approximately −1200 bp 5′ to the start codon and 200–400 bp 3′ to the stop codon. These divergence sites may indicate the boundaries of sequences important in gene expression. In addition, promoter sequences were determined for alleles of the Bx gene (Glu-B1-1), a gene reported to show higher levels of expression than other HMW-glutenin genes and with variation among cultivars. The sequences of Bx promoters from three cultivars and one wild tetraploid wheat indicated that all Bx alleles had few differences and contained a duplicated portion of the promoter sequence “cereal-box” previously suspected as a factor in higher levels of expression. Thus, the “cereal-box” duplication preceeded the origin of hexaploid wheat, and provides no evidence to explain the variations in Bx subunit synthesis levels. One active Bx allele contained a 185-bp insertion that evidently resulted from a transposition event. Received: 5 August 1997 / Accepted: 6 November 1997     

Characterisation and analysis of new HMW-glutenin alleles encoded by the Glu-R1 locus of Secale cereale

This work reports the molecular characterisation of new alleles of the previously reported Glu-R1 locus. Wheat lines carrying the chromosome substitution 1R(1D), rye cultivars and related wild species were analysed. Five new x-type and four y-type Glu-R1 glutenin subunits were isolated and characterised. The coding region of the sequences shows the typical structure of the HMW glutenin genes previously described in wheat, with the N and C-terminal domains flanking the central repetitive region. Tri-, hexa- and nona-peptides found in the central repetitive region of wheat glutenin genes were also present in the rye genes. Duplications and deletions of these motifs are responsible for allelic variation at the Glu-R1 locus. Orthologous genes (from different genomes) were more closely related than paralogous genes (x- and y-type), supporting the hypothesis of gene duplication before Triticeae speciation. Differences in the number and position of cysteine residues identified alleles which in wheat are associated with good dough quality. SDS proteins encoded by some characterised alleles were presumptively identified.     

Conserved globulin gene across eight grass genomes identify fundamental units of the loci encoding seed storage proteins

The wheat high molecular weight (HMW) glutenins are important seed storage proteins that determine bread-making quality in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum). In this study, detailed comparative sequence analyses of large orthologous HMW glutenin genomic regions from eight grass species, representing a wide evolutionary history of grass genomes, reveal a number of lineage-specific sequence changes. These lineage-specific changes, which resulted in duplications, insertions, and deletions of genes, are the major forces disrupting gene colinearity among grass genomes. Our results indicate that the presence of the HMW glutenin gene in Triticeae genomes was caused by lineage-specific duplication of a globulin gene. This tandem duplication event is shared by Brachypodium and Triticeae genomes, but is absent in rice, maize, and sorghum, suggesting the duplication occurred after Brachypodium and Triticeae genomes diverged from the other grasses ~35 Ma ago. Aside from their physical location in tandem, the sequence similarity, expression pattern, and conserved cis-acting elements responsible for endosperm-specific expression further support the paralogous relationship between the HMW glutenin and globulin genes. While the duplicated copy in Brachypodium has apparently become nonfunctional, the duplicated copy in wheat has evolved to become the HMW glutenin gene by gaining a central prolamin repetitive domain.     

小麦高分子量谷蛋白亚基Glu-B1位点沉默基因的克隆与序列分析

二粒小麦（Triticum turgidum L．var．dicoccoides）具有极其丰富的遗传多样性,是栽培小麦品种改良的巨大基因库。在高分子量谷蛋白基因的组成上,它具有许多栽培小麦不存在的变异类型,在Glu—B1位点上的变异更大。我们利用种子贮藏蛋白的SDS—PAGE方法从原产于伊朗的二粒小麦材料PI94640中观察到缺失Glu—B1区的高分子量谷蛋白亚基。利用Glu-1Bx基因保守序列设计PCR引物,对该材料的总DNA扩增,获得了X型亚基编码基因（Glu-1Bxm）的全序列,其全长为3442bp含1070bp的启动子区。序列比较发现,Glu-1Bxm在启动子区序列与Glu—1Bx7的最为相似。而在基因编码区,我们发现Glu—1Bxm仅编码212个氨基酸,由于开放阅读框中起始密码子后第637位核苷酸发生了点突变,即编码谷酰胺的CAA突变为终止密码TAA,可能直接导致了该高分子量谷蛋白亚基的失活,这是我们在小麦Glu—B1位点基因沉默分子证据的首次报道。将Glu—1Bxm全序列与Glu—B1位点其他等位基因进行了系统树分析,发现Glu—1Bxm是较为古老的类型。本文还对该特异高分子量谷蛋白亚基变异类型对品质遗传改良研究的意义进行了讨论。     

Isolation and characterization of Glu-1 genes from the St genome of Pseudoroegneria libanotica

The St genome, which is present in nearly half of all Triticeae species, originates from the genus Pseudoroegneria. However, very little is known about the high molecular weight (HMW) subunits of glutenin which are encoded by the St genome. In this paper, we report the isolation from Pd. libanotica of four sequences encoding HMW subunits of glutenin. The four genes were all small compared to standard glutenin genes. All four sequences resemble y-type glutenins rather than x-types. However, their N-terminal domains contain a glutamine residue which is present in all x-type, but very few y-type subunits, and their central repetitive domains included some irregular motifs. The indication is therefore that the Glu-1St genes evolved earlier than other modern day homoeologues, so that they represent an intermediate state in the divergence between x- and y-type subunits. No x-type Glu-1St subunit genes were identified.     

Molecular Characterization of a HMW Glutenin Subunit Allele Providing Evidence for Silencing of x-type Gene on Glu-B1

Understanding the molecular structure of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) may provide useful evidence for the study on the improvement of quality of cultivated wheat and the evolution of Glu-1 alleles. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) shows that the subunits encoded by Glu-B1 were null, named 1Bxm, in a Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides line PI94640. Primers based on the conserved regions in wheat HMW-GS gene promoter and coding sequences were used to amplify the genomic DNA of line PI94640. The PCR products were sequenced, and the total nucleotide sequence of 3 442 bp including upstream sequence of 1 070 bp was obtained. Compared with the reported gene sequences of Glu-1Bx alleles, the promoter region of the Glu-1Bxm showed close resemblance to 1Bx7. The Glu-1Bxm coding region differs from the other Glu-1Bx alleles for a deduced mature protein with only 212 residues, and a stop codon (TAA) at 637 bp downstream from the start codon was present, which was probably responsible for the silencing of x-type subunit genes at the Glu-B1 locus. Phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequence alignment of HMW glutenin subunit genes showed that 1Bxm was the most ancient type of Glu-B1 alleles, suggesting that the evolution rates are different among Glu-1Bx genes. Further study on the contribution of the unique silenced Glu-B1 alleles to quality improvement was also discussed.     

Types and rates of sequence evolution at the high-molecular-weight glutenin locus in hexaploid wheat and its ancestral genomes

The Glu-1 locus, encoding the high-molecular-weight glutenin protein subunits, controls bread-making quality in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) and represents a recently evolved region unique to Triticeae genomes. To understand the molecular evolution of this locus region, three orthologous Glu-1 regions from the three subgenomes of a single hexaploid wheat species were sequenced, totaling 729 kb of sequence. Comparing each Glu-1 region with its corresponding homologous region from the D genome of diploid wheat, Aegilops tauschii, and the A and B genomes of tetraploid wheat, Triticum turgidum, revealed that, in addition to the conservation of microsynteny in the genic regions, sequences in the intergenic regions, composed of blocks of nested retroelements, are also generally conserved, although a few nonshared retroelements that differentiate the homologous Glu-1 regions were detected in each pair of the A and D genomes. Analysis of the indel frequency and the rate of nucleotide substitution, which represent the most frequent types of sequence changes in the Glu-1 regions, demonstrated that the two A genomes are significantly more divergent than the two B genomes, further supporting the hypothesis that hexaploid wheat may have more than one tetraploid ancestor.     

Characterisation of two gene subunits on the 1R chromosome of rye as orthologs of each of the Glu-1 genes of hexaploid wheat

The visco-elastic properties of bread flour are firmly associated with the presence or absence of certain HMW subunits coded by the Glu-1 genes. Identifying allelic specific molecular markers (AS-PCR) associated with the presence of Glu-1 genes can serve as a valuable tool for the selection of useful genotypes. This paper reports the use of primers designed from nucleotide sequences of the Glu-D1 gene of wheat (AS-PCR for Glu-D1y10) that recognise and amplify homologous sequences of the Glu-R1 gene subunits of rye. The primers amplify the complete coding regions and provided two products of different size in rye, in wheats carrying the substitution 1R(1D) and in rye-wheat aneuploid lines carrying the long arm of chromosome 1R. The location, the molecular characterisation of these sequences and their expression during grain ripening seem to demonstrate that the amplification products correspond to structural genes encoding the high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenins of rye. The homology of the rye gene to subunits encoding HMW glutenins in wheat was confirmed by Southern blots and sequencing. The amplification-products were cloned, sequenced and characterised, and the sequences compared with the main glutenin subunits of wheat and related species. Further, an RT-PCR experiment was performed using primers designed from the sequence of both amplified products. This assay demonstrated that both sequences are expressed in endosperm during grain ripening. The results of these analyses suggest that both gene subunits correspond to x- and y-type genes of the Glu-R1 locus of rye. Received: 11 December 2000 / Accepted: 17 April 2001     

Identification of chromosome arms influencing expression of the HMW glutenins in wheat

The high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin genes, located on the group 1L chromosome arms, are a major determinant for baking quality in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). In addition, the HMW glutenin genes provide a valuable model system for studying the evolution and regulation of orthologous and paralogous genes in polyploid species. The goal of this study was to identify loci that modify the expression of the HMW glutenins, and to map them to specific chromosome arms. Comparisons were made between endosperms with zero versus three (or three versus six) doses for each of the 42 chromosome arms of wheat. SDS-PAGE and scanning densitometry were used to quantify the protein expression levels of the four HMW glutenin genes in cv. Chinese Spring, for each of the dosage comparisons. Fifteen chromosome arms were found to have significant effects on Glu-B1-1, excluding the structural gene dosage effect: eight positive effects on 1AL, 2AS, 2BL, 2DS, 5DS, 6AL, 6DL, and 7AL and seven negative effects on 1BS, 1DS, 1DL, 4DL, 6BS, 6DS, and 7AS. Nineteen chromosome arms had significant effects on Glu-B1-2, excluding the structural gene dosage effect: eight positive effects on 1AL, 2AS, 2BS, 3AL, 4BL, 6DS, 7BL and 7DS and 11 negative effects on 1AS, 1BS, 1DS, 1DL, 2AL, 2BL, 3DS, 4BS, 4DL, 5BL, and 6BS. Twenty chromosome arms had significant effects on Glu-D1-1, excluding the structural gene dosage effect: 11 positive effects on 1AL, 1BL, 2BS, 2DS, 5BS, 5DS, 6AL, 6DS, 6DL, 7AL, and 7BL and nine negative effects on 1AS, 1BS, 1DS, 2BL, 4DL, 5BL, 5DL, 6BL, and 7DS. Twenty-five chromosome arms had significant effects on Glu-D1-2, excluding the structural gene dosage effect: 17 positive effects on 1BL, 2AS, 2BS, 2DS, 2DL, 3AS, 3AL, 3BS, 5AS, 5BS, 5DL, 6AL, 6DL, 7AL, 7BS, 7BL, and 7DL and eight negative effects on 1DS, 4DL, 5AL, 5BL, 6BS, 6BL, 6DS and 7DS. Of the 164 gene-chromosome arm tests performed, about 52% (85/164) showed no significant effects, and 48% (79/164) showed significant effects, excluding the structural gene dosage effects. Of the significant effects, 56% (44/79) were positive effects, and 44% (35/79) were negative effects. Comparisons of dosage effects on orthologous loci (both x-type or both y-type HMW glutenins) showed that orthologous HMW glutenin genes are largely influenced by the same regulatory systems. Less correlation was found for comparisons between paralogous genes, although considerable conservation was observed at this level as well. These observations suggest that after polyploidization, many of the duplicated orthologous regulatory loci were inactivated by mutation, thus consolidating control over the HMW glutenin genes. Possible candidates for orthologous regulatory genes were identified in maize and barley. This study represents the first comprehensive search of the wheat genome for regulators of the HMW glutenins.     

Characterization of high molecular weight glutenin subunit genes from the Ns genome of Psathyrostachys juncea

The Ns genome of the genus Psathyrostachys possesses superior traits useful for wheat improvement. However, very little is known about the high molecular weight (HMW) subunits of glutenin encoded by the Ns genome. In this paper, we report the isolation of four alleles of HMW glutenin subunit gene from Psathyrostachys juncea. Sequence alignment data shows the four alleles have similar primary structure with those in wheat and other wheat-related grasses, with some unique modifications. All four sequences more closely resemble y-type, rather than x-type, glutenins. However, our results show three of the subunits (1Ns2-4) contain an extra glutamine residue in the N-terminal region not found on typical y-type subunits, as well as the x-type subunit specific sequence LAAQLPAMCRL. These three subunits likely represent an intermediate state in the divergence between x- and y-type subunits. Results also indicate that the Ns genome is more closely related to the St genome of Pseudoroegneria than any other Triticeae genomes.     

A novel high molecular weight glutenin subunit from Australopyrum retrofractum

We describe the sequence of a gene encoding a high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) expressed in the endosperm of the wheat relative Australopyrum retrofractum. Although the subunit has a similar primary structure to that HMW-GS genes present in other Triticeae species, its N-terminal domain is shorter, its central repetitive domain includes a unique dodecameric motif, and its C-terminal domain contain an extra cysteine residue. A phylogenetic analysis showed that the Glu-W1 gene is neither a true x- nor a true y-type subunit, although it is more closely related to the y-type genes present in the K and E genomes than to any other published HMW-GS gene. All these results indicated that this novel subunit may undergo a special evolutionary process different from other Triticeae species. A flour supplementation experiment showed that the Glu-W1 subunit has a negative effect on dough quality, which might be the result of interaction between the two closely placed cysteine residues in the C-terminal region.     

小麦新品种(系)Glu-1位点等位基因变异研究

应用SDS-PAGE技术分析了40份小麦新品种(系)的高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基等位基因变异。在Glu-1位点共检测到10种变异类型,其中Glu-Al位点有3种类型：Null、1、26 ,Glu-B1位点有5种类型：7 8、7 9、14 15、7、17 18,Glu-D1位点有2种类型：2 12、5 10;Null(54．3％)、7 8(51．4％)和2 12(62．9％)分别是Glu-Al、Glu-B1和Glu-D1位点上的主要亚基变异类型。另外,在2份材料的Glu-B1和Glu-D1位点各检测到1个新的亚基,分别命名为1By8．1和1Dx5^ 。Glu-1位点的Nei‘s遗传变异指数平均为0,5648,Glu-B1的遗传多样性最高,Glu-D1最低。供试小麦材料Glu-1位点的HMW-GS组合共有17种类型,以(Null,7 8,2 12)组合为主要类型,占31．4％;有9种亚基组合类型分别只在1份材料中出现,占26.1％。结果表明,这些小麦新品种(系)存在着丰富的亚基组合类型。     

A New Class of Wheat Gliadin Genes and Proteins

The utility of mining DNA sequence data to understand the structure and expression of cereal prolamin genes is demonstrated by the identification of a new class of wheat prolamins. This previously unrecognized wheat prolamin class, given the name δ-gliadins, is the most direct ortholog of barley γ3-hordeins. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the orthologous δ-gliadins and γ3-hordeins form a distinct prolamin branch that existed separate from the γ-gliadins and γ-hordeins in an ancestral Triticeae prior to the branching of wheat and barley. The expressed δ-gliadins are encoded by a single gene in each of the hexaploid wheat genomes. This single δ-gliadin/γ3-hordein ortholog may be a general feature of the Triticeae tribe since examination of ESTs from three barley cultivars also confirms a single γ3-hordein gene. Analysis of ESTs and cDNAs shows that the genes are expressed in at least five hexaploid wheat cultivars in addition to diploids Triticum monococcum and Aegilops tauschii. The latter two sequences also allow assignment of the δ-gliadin genes to the A and D genomes, respectively, with the third sequence type assumed to be from the B genome. Two wheat cultivars for which there are sufficient ESTs show different patterns of expression, i.e., with cv Chinese Spring expressing the genes from the A and B genomes, while cv Recital has ESTs from the A and D genomes. Genomic sequences of Chinese Spring show that the D genome gene is inactivated by tandem premature stop codons. A fourth δ-gliadin sequence occurs in the D genome of both Chinese Spring and Ae. tauschii, but no ESTs match this sequence and limited genomic sequences indicates a pseudogene containing frame shifts and premature stop codons. Sequencing of BACs covering a 3 Mb region from Ae. tauschii locates the δ-gliadin gene to the complex Gli-1 plus Glu-3 region on chromosome 1.     

Marker-assisted selection of high molecular weight glutenin alleles related to bread-making quality in Iranian common wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.)

Bread-making quality in hexaploid wheats is a complex trait. It has been shown that the amount and composition of protein can influence dough rheological properties. The high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenins are encoded by a complex locus, Glu-1, on the long arm of group-1 homoeologus chromosome of the A, B and D genomes. In this work we used PCR-based DNA markers as a substitution tool to distinguish wheat bread-making quality. We detected PCR-based DNA markers for coding sequence of Glu-A1x, Glu-B1x and Glu-D1x to be 2300 bp, 2400 bp and 2500 bp respectively. DNA markers related to coding sequence of Glu-A1y, Glu-B1y and Glu-D1y were; 1800 bp, 2100 bp and 1950 bp, however, the repetitive region of their coding sequence were shown to be about 1300 bp, 1500 bp and 1600 bp. The results demonstrate that the size variation was due to different lengths of the central repetitive domain. Good or poor bread-making quality in wheat is associated with two allelic pairs of Glu-D1, designated 1Dx5-1Dy10 and 1Dx2-1Dy12. The 1Bx7 allele has moderate-to-good quality score. The specific DNA markers, of 450 bp, 576 bp, 612 bp and 2400 bp respectively were characterized for 1Dx5, 1Dy10, 1Dy12 and 1Bx7 alleles. These markers are very important in screening of wheat for bread-making quality.     

Molecular cloning and comparative analysis of a y-type inactive HMW glutenin subunit gene from cultivated emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum L.)

Cultivated emmer (Triticum dicoccum, 2n = 4x = 28, AABB) is closely related to bread wheat and possesses extensive allelic variations in high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) composition. These alleles may be an important genetic resource for wheat quality improvement. To isolate and clone HMW-GS genes from cultivated emmer, two pairs of allele-specific (AS) PCR primers were designed to amplify the coding sequence of y-type HMW-GS genes and their upstream sequences, respectively. The results showed that single bands of strong amplification were obtained through AS-PCR of genomic DNA from emmer. After cloning and sequencing the complete sequence of coding and 5'-flanking regions of a y-type subunit gene at Glu-A1 locus was obtained. Nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences analysis showed that this gene possessed a similar structure as the previously reported Ay gene from common wheat, and is hence designated as Ay1d. The distinct feature of the Ay1d gene is that its coding region contains four stop codons and its upstream region has a 85-bp deletion in the same position of the Ay gene, which are probably responsible for the silencing of y-type subunit genes at Glu-A1 locus. Phylogenetic analysis of HMW glutenin subunit genes from different Triticum species and genomes were also carried out.     

Multiplex PCR identification of wheat HMW glutenin subunit genes by allele-specific markers

Wheat bread-making quality is closely correlated with composition and quantity of gluten proteins, in particular with high-molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunits encoded by the Glu-1 genes. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed to identify the allele composition of HMW glutenin complex Glu-1 loci (Glu-A1, Glu-B1 and Glu-D1) in common wheat genotypes. The study of multiplex PCR to obtain a well-balanced set of amplicons involved examination of various combinations of selected primer sets and/or thermal cycling conditions. One to three simultaneously amplified DNA fragments of HMW glutenin Glu-1 genes were separated by agarose slab-gel electrophoresis and differences between Ax1, Ax2* and Axnull genes of Glu-A1 loci, Bx6, Bx7 and Bx17 of Glu-B1, and Dx2, Dx5 and Dy10 genes of Glu-D1 loci were revealed. A complete agreement was found in identification of HMW glutenin subunits by both multiplex PCR analysis and SDS-PAGE for seventy-six Polish cultivars/strains of both spring and winter common wheat. Rapid identification of molecular markers of Glu-1 alleles by multiplex PCR can be an efficient alternative to the standard separation procedure for early selection of useful wheat genotypes with good bread-making quality.