Effects of Aegilops longissima chromosome 1Sl on wheat bread-making quality in two types of translocation lines

KEY MESSAGE

Two wheat-Ae. longissima translocation chromosomes (1BS·1SlL and 1SlS·1BL) were transferred into three commercial wheat varieties, and the new advanced lines showed improved bread-making quality compared to their recurrent parents. Aegilops longissima chromosome 1Sl encodes specific types of gluten subunits that may positively affect wheat bread-making quality. The most effective method of introducing 1Sl chromosomal fragments containing the target genes into wheat is chromosome translocation. Here, a wheat-Ae. longissima 1BS·1SlL translocation line was developed using molecular marker-assisted chromosome engineering. Two types of translocation chromosomes developed in a previous study, 1BS·1SlL and 1SlS·1BL, were introduced into three commercial wheat varieties (Ningchun4, Ningchun50, and Westonia) via backcrossing with marker-assisted selection. Advanced translocation lines were confirmed through chromosome in situ hybridization and genotyping by target sequencing using the wheat 40 K system. Bread-making quality was found to be improved in the two types of advanced translocation lines compared to the corresponding recurrent parents. Furthermore, 1SlS·1BL translocation lines displayed better bread-making quality than 1BS·1SlL translocation lines in each genetic background. Further analysis revealed that high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) contents and expression levels of genes encoding low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GSs) were increased in 1SlS·1BL translocation lines. Gliadin and gluten-related transcription factors were also upregulated in the grains of the two types of advanced translocation lines compared to the recurrent parents. This study clarifies the impacts of specific glutenin subunits on bread-making quality and provides novel germplasm resources for further improvement of wheat quality through molecular breeding.

Low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits from the 1U genome of Aegilops umbellulata confer superior dough rheological properties and improve breadmaking quality of bread wheat

BACKGROUND

Wheat-related genomes may carry new glutenin genes with the potential for quality improvement of breadmaking. In this study, we estimated the gluten quality properties of the wheat line CNU609 derived from crossing between Chinese Spring (CS, Triticum aestivum L., 2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD) and the wheat Aegilops umbellulata (2n = 2x = 14, UU) 1U(1B) substitution line, and investigated the function of 1U-encoded low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS).

RESULTS

The main quality parameters of CNU609 were significantly improved due to introgression of the 1U genome, including dough development time, stability time, farinograph quality number, gluten index, loaf size and inner structure. Glutenin analysis showed that CNU609 and CS had the same high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) composition, but CNU609 carried eight specific 1U genome-encoded LMW-GS. The introgression of the 1U-encoded LMW-GS led to more and larger protein body formation in the CNU609 endosperm. Two new LMW-m type genes from the 1U genome, designated Glu-U3a and Glu-U3b, were cloned and characterized. Secondary structure prediction implied that both Glu-U3a and Glu-U3b encode subunits with high α-helix and β-strand content that could benefit the formation of superior gluten structure.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that the 1U genome has superior LMW-GS that can be used as new gene resources for wheat gluten quality improvement. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Development of a set of PCR markers specific to Aegilops longissima chromosome arms and application in breeding a translocation line

Transcriptome data were used to develop 134 Aegilops longissima specific PCR markers and their comparative maps were constructed by contrasting with the homologous genes in the wheat B genome. Three wheat- Ae. longissima 1BL·1S ^l S translocation lines were identified using the correspondence markers. Aegilops longissima is an important wild species of common wheat that harbors many genes that can be used to improve various traits of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). To efficiently transfer the traits conferred by these Ae. longissima genes into wheat, we sequenced the whole expression transcript of Ae. longissima. Using the transcriptome data, we developed 134 specific polymerase chain reaction markers located on the 14 chromosome arms of Ae. longissima. These novel molecular markers were assigned to specific chromosome locations based on a comparison with the homologous genes in the B genome of wheat. Annotation of these genes showed that most had functions related to metabolic processes, hydrolase activity, or catalytic activity. Additionally, we used these markers to identify three wheat-Ae. longissima 1BL·1S^lS translocation lines in somatic variation populations resulting from a cross between wheat cultivar Westonia and a wheat-Ae. longissima substitution line 1S^l(1B). The translocation lines had several low molecular weight glutenin subunits encoding genes beneficial to flour processing quality that came from Ae. longissima 1S^lS. The three translocation lines were also confirmed by genomic in situ hybridization. These translocation lines will be further evaluated for potential quality improvement of bread-making properties of wheat.