Analysis of the HMW glutenin subunit composition of wheat cultivars by SDS-PAGE

Abstract

The composition of the high-molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunits of 13 wheat cultivars grown in the Western Cape was determined using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS-PAGE). The molecular weight of the different subunits was determined using standard proteins with known molecular weights. The Glu-1 quality score and the frequency of the subunits controlled by chromosomes 1A, 1B and 1D were calculated for the different cultivars. Ten different patterns of HMW glutenin subunits consisting of 4-5 protein bands were found. A total of 14 different HMW glutenin subunits were found, enabling most of the cultivars to be identified.