Abstract
Starch composition which is dependent on the waxy protein, the enzyme responsible for amylose synthesis in the grain, is an important aspect of the wheat quality. In this report, we describe the characterization of a novel Wx-A1 allele (Wx-A1g formerly known as -Wx-A1a) in Spanish spelt wheat lines which is responsible for a remarkable decline in the concentration of Wx-A1 protein found in the endosperm. Comparison of the DNA sequences in the Wx-A1a and Wx-A1g alleles showed the presence of a 160-bp insertion within the fourth intron in the latter. This insertion had some characteristics of a transposable-like element. RT-PCR analysis showed the presence of normal and aberrant mRNA transcripts in the Wx-A1g lines, indicating that the aberrant transcripts are un-spliced and contained the longer fourth intron. This may be related to the low level of Wx-A1 protein in these lines. In addition, a simple and fast PCR assay was designed for differentiating among different Wx-A1 alleles (a, b, f and g). The mutation described here is not related to either of the Wx-A1 mutations identified previously in common and durum wheats and could help to extend the range of amylose content of wheats.
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Abbreviations
- GBSSI:
-
Granule-bound starch synthase I
- ORF:
-
Open reading frame
- PCR:
-
Polymerase chain reaction
- RT-PCR:
-
Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction,
- SDS-PAGE:
-
Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by grants AGL2007-65685-C02-02 and AGL2010-19643-C02-01 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, co-financed with European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) from the European Union. The first author thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (FPU programme) for a predoctoral fellowship. In the same way he expresses his appreciation to Alessandra Di Francesco, Andrea Aglieco and Ana Moral for their technical assistance.
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Guzmán, C., Caballero, L., Yamamori, M. et al. Molecular characterization of a new waxy allele with partial expression in spelt wheat. Planta 235, 1331–1339 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-011-1577-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-011-1577-7