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Molecular characterization of several Wx alleles in durum wheat

  • Original Papers
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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

The Wx gene, which encodes waxy proteins, is the sole gene responsible for amylose synthesis in the wheat seed endosperm. In this study, we characterized, at the molecular level, several Wx alleles in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum Desf.) that had previously been catalogued at the protein level. Our data show a misclassification of the alleles in both Wx genes: Wx-A1 alleles from Blanqueta (Wx-A1a) and Astrodur (Wx-A1b) have been reclassified as Wx-A1a and Wx-A1h, respectively. A sequence comparison of the Wx-B1e allele shows that there were up to five different alleles under this denomination, which confirms that the protein analysis by SDS-PAGE separation needs to be combined with the PCR amplification-sequencing analysis in order to obtain a correct classification of the alleles, which will facilitate their use in wheat quality improvement.

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Abbreviations

PCR:

polymerase chain reaction

SDS-PAGE:

sodium dodecylsulphate-polymerase chain reaction

Wx:

waxy

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Author notes

  1. R. Ortega

    Present address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia

  2. C. Guzmán

    Present address: Wheat Chemistry and Quality Laboratory, Global Wheat Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Texcoco, Mexico

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Genética, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y de Montes, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Universidad de Córdoba, CeiA3, Campus de Rabanales, ES-14071, Córdoba, Spain

    R. Ortega, C. Guzmán & J. B. Alvarez

Authors
  1. R. Ortega
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  2. C. Guzmán
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  3. J. B. Alvarez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. B. Alvarez.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: This research was supported by a grant No. AGL2010-19643-C02-01 of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and a grant from the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) of the European Union. The technical assistance of M. Ayala is appreciated. We thank to the Centro de Recursos Fitogenéticos (Alcalá de Henares, Spain), the National Small Grain Collection (Aberdeen, USA), and the Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (Gatersleben, Germany) for supplying the analysed material.

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Ortega, R., Guzmán, C. & Alvarez, J.B. Molecular characterization of several Wx alleles in durum wheat. Biol Plant 59, 220–226 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-015-0507-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-015-0507-0

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