EXPRESSION OF HMW WX PROTEIN IN JAPANESE COMMON WHEAT (TRITICUM-AESTIVUM L) CULTIVARS

The Wx protein of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was separated into high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) proteins by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) using a gel containing a low concentration of BIS acrylamide. Chinese Spring exhibited both Wx proteins, but its nullisomic 7A-tetrasomic 7B (N7AT7B) and N7AT7D lines lacked the HMW Wx protein. It was concluded that the HMW Wx protein was encoded by the waxy locus on 7A chromosome. Among 136 Japanese common wheat cultivars analyzed, fourteen cultivars possessed only the LMW Wx protein and lacked the HMW protein.