Scientists discover genes that code a protein increasing the quality of wheat

A team from the Institute of Biology of Tyumen State University has analyzed the genome of a common wheat, and discovered areas that code the synthesis of a gluten protein called gliadin. The researchers also identified a number of optimal alleles that would allow for harvesting high-quality wheat in the agricultural conditions of Northern Kazakhstan. The results of the study were published in PeerJ.

Wheat grain has been used as a raw product in the baking industry for a long time. However, when flour is made of low-quality grain, it often needs various additives such as dry gluten. The additives improve the properties of the flour, but baked goods made of it may cause serious damage to human health if consumed regularly.

In order to reduce the health risks associated with chemically improved flour, more high-quality grain should be produced. Here molecular biology and genetics may be of use. By analyzing the polymorphism of plant DNA and proteins, one can identify a number of factors associated with grain quality. An important role in its development is played by a group of seed storage proteins (prolamins) that form the gluten complex of wheat grain. Wheat gluten consists of gliadin and glutenin. It is a nitrogenous matter that directly affects food quality.

A team of scientists from the Institute of Biology of Tyumen State University and research organizations from Kazakhstan and Australia carried out a study to identify the alleles of genes that control the synthesis of gliadin—one of the two gluten proteins.

"We carried out electrophoretic analysis of gliadin from the grain of wheat grown in the droughty regions of Northern Kazakhstan and identified the most common variations of genes that are in charge of gliadin synthesis. Based on Russian and foreign publications we suggested that wheat genes that are the most widely spread in certain climatic conditions may be associated with resistance to environmental stress factors and quality characteristics of wheat grain. Therefore, the combination of all these genes in one genotype would help bring the quality of the plants to a new level," said Nina Bome, Ph.D. in Agriculture, and the Head of the Department of Botanics, Biotechnologies, and Landscaping at the Institute of Biology, Tyumen State University.

The team plans to further study the samples of wheat grown in the Siberian climate in order to find a connection between the quality of grain and the presence of gliadin and glutenin genes. The results of these studies may help create new high-quality varieties and selection lines to be cultivated in changing climatic conditions. The grain of such varieties would not require additional processing which would make the flour safe for human health.

More information:
Maral Utebayev et al. Genetic diversity of gliadin-coding alleles in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from Northern Kazakhstan, PeerJ (2019). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7082 б doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7082

Provided by University of Tyumen