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Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in wheat and wild relatives: molecular evidence for a multigene family

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An Erratum to this article was published on 17 March 2007

Abstract

Wheat polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is the major cause of browning reactions that discolor Asian noodles and other wheat products. It has been hypothesized that genes encoding wheat PPOs may have evolved by gene duplication into a multigene family. Here we characterized PPO genomic sequences from diploid (Triticum monococcum, T. urartu, Aegilops tauschii, and Ae. speltoides), tetraploid (T. turgidum, subspecies dicoccoides and durum) and hexaploid (T. aestivum cultivars Klasic and ID377s) wheat species to gain a better understanding of the structure and organization of PPO genes. DNA fragments were amplified from a highly polymorphic and phylogenetic informative region of the gene. As a result, we obtained highly discriminative sequences. Three distinct PPOs, obtained from the A genome of T. monococcum, provided evidence for gene duplication events (paralogous loci). Furthermore, the number of sequences obtained for bread and durum wheat was higher than the expected number of orthologous loci. Sequence comparison revealed nucleotide and structural diversity, and detected five sequence intron types, all with a common insertion position. This was hypothesized to be homologous to that of intron 2 of previously reported wheat PPOs. A MITE of the Stowaway family accounted for the major difference between the five intervening sequences, and was unique to T. aestivum cv. Klasic. Nucleotide and structural diversity, together with well-resolved phylogenetic trees, provided molecular evidence to support the hypothesis of a PPO multigene family structure and organization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (affiliated with the USDA ARS Western Wheat Quality Laboratory), Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-6394, USA

    Alicia N. Massa

  2. USDA ARS Western Wheat Quality Laboratory, E-202 Food Science and Human Nutrition Facility East, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-6394, USA

    Brian Beecher & Craig F. Morris

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  1. Alicia N. Massa
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  2. Brian Beecher
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  3. Craig F. Morris
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Correspondence to Craig F. Morris.

Additional information

Communicated by A. Kilian.

Mention of trademark or proprietary products does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of a product by the US Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable.

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00122-007-0531-3.

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Massa, A.N., Beecher, B. & Morris, C.F. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in wheat and wild relatives: molecular evidence for a multigene family. Theor Appl Genet 114, 1239–1247 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-007-0514-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-007-0514-4

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