Image-assisted quantification of high and low molecular weight glutenin fractions in wheat by SDS-PAGE

Gluten quality in bread wheat is mainly determined by gluten strength and protein content. Traditionally gluten quality has been predicted based only on allelic variation for HMW-GS characterized by SDS-PAGE- The ratio of high to low molecular weight glutenin subunits has received less attention despite its influence on gluten properties is acknowledge. That is mainly because accurate quantification of glutenin fractions is made by RP-HPLC, a more complex, expensive and time-consuming technology. In the present study, a methodology to estimate HMW/LMW glutenin subunit ratio by SDS-PAGE results was assessed. We used a segregating population derived from a cross between two Spanish bread wheat landraces (Richela Blanca and Jeja Pardilla) showing striking differences according to SDSS tests. Quantification of prolamins by RP-HPLC confirmed a wide range of variation in the HMW/LMW glutenin subunit ratio within the population. Then, we selected 22 lines that represented the available variation. Subsequently, we obtained high-quality SDS-PAGE images following a standard protocol to characterize glutenin allelic variants. Estimation of HMW/LMW-GS ratio was obtained by analyzing the intensity of HMW-GS and LMW-GS gel bands. Correlation between RP-HPLC and SDS-PAGE values was greater than 0.85 proving the suitability of the much simpler and cheaper electrophoretic-based alternative.