Ronald Chan

Characterization of the 1B-type ω-gliadins from Triticum aestivum cultivar Butte.

ABSTRACT ω-Gliadins were purified from wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Butte’) flour and characterized. Although reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) separated the 1B-encoded ω-gliadins into two fractions, 1B1 and 1B2, these fractions had nearly identical amino acid compositions, three similar protein bands in SDS-PAGE, 10 similar spots in two-dimensional PAGE, and two similar N-terminal amino acid sequences. The main components had a range in mass of 48,900–51,500 when estimated by mass spectrometry, significantly less than the mass estimated by SDS-PAGE. The 1B fractions were digested with thermolysin, the peptides were separated by RP-HPLC, the peptide mass was determined, and nine peptides from each fraction were sequenced with nearly identical results for the 1B1 and 1B2 digests. A possible consensus sequence of the 1B-encoded ω-gliadin internal repeat was QQQXP, where X was F, I, or L in descending order of occurrence. The 1D-encoded ω-gliadins were purified by RP-HPLC as a single fraction that had one band i...

Similarities of omega gliadins from Triticum urartu to those encoded on chromosome 1A of hexaploid wheat and evidence for their post-translational processing

The ω-gliadins encoded on chromosome 1 of the A genome were purified from Triticum aestivum L. (2n=6x=42, AABBDD) cv. Butte86, nullisomic 1D-tetrasomic 1A of cv. Chinese Spring (CS N1DT1A), and the diploid T. urartu (2n=2x=14, AA). Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography combined with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of gliadin extracts from CS nullisomic-tetrasomic (NT) lines confirmed the assignment to chromosome 1A. The purified ω-gliadins were characterized by mass spectrometry and N-terminal sequencing. The 1A-encoded ω-gliadins were smaller than 1B- or 1D-encoded ω-gliadins. The N-terminal amino acid sequences for 1A ω-gliadin mature peptides were nearly identical to those for the T. urartu ω-gliadins and were more similar to 1D ω-gliadin sequences than to sequences for T. monococum ω-gliadins, barley C-hordeins, or rye ω-secalins. They diverged greatly from the N-terminal sequences for the 1B ω-gliadins. The data suggest that T. urartu is the A-genome donor, and that post-translational cleavage by an asparaginyl endoprotease produces those ω-gliadins with N-terminal sequences beginning with KEL.

PhiC31 recombination system demonstrates heritable germinal transmission of site-specific excision from the Arabidopsis genome.

BackgroundThe large serine recombinase phiC31 from broad host range Streptomyces temperate phage, catalyzes the site-specific recombination of two recognition sites that differ in sequence, typically known as attachment sites attB and attP. Previously, we characterized the phiC31 catalytic activity and modes of action in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.ResultsIn this work, the phiC31 recombinase gene was placed under the control of the Arabidopsis OXS3 promoter and introduced into Arabidopsis harboring a chromosomally integrated attB and attP-flanked target sequence. The phiC31 recombinase excised the attB and attP-flanked DNA, and the excision event was detected in subsequent generations in the absence of the phiC31 gene, indicating germinal transmission was possible. We further verified that the genomic excision was conservative and that introduction of a functional recombinase can be achieved through secondary transformation as well as manual crossing.ConclusionThe phiC31 system performs site-specific recombination in germinal tissue, a prerequisite for generating stable lines with unwanted DNA removed. The precise site-specific deletion by phiC31 in planta demonstrates that the recombinase can be used to remove selectable markers or other introduced transgenes that are no longer desired and therefore can be a useful tool for genome engineering in plants.

The Bxb1 recombination system demonstrates heritable transmission of site-specific excision in Arabidopsis

BackgroundThe mycobacteriophage large serine recombinase Bxb1 catalyzes site-specific recombination between its corresponding attP and attB recognition sites. Previously, we and others have shown that Bxb1 has catalytic activity in various eukaryotic species including Nicotiana tabacum, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, insects and mammalian cells.ResultsIn this work, the Bxb1 recombinase gene was transformed and constitutively expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana plants harboring a chromosomally integrated attP and attB-flanked target sequence. The Bxb1 recombinase successfully excised the target sequence in a conservative manner and the resulting recombination event was heritably transmitted to subsequent generations in the absence of the recombinase transgene. In addition, we also show that Bxb1 recombinase expressing plants can be manually crossed with att-flanked target transgenic plants to generate excised progeny.ConclusionThe Bxb1 large serine recombinase performs site-specific recombination in Arabidopsis thaliana germinal tissue, producing stable lines free of unwanted DNA. The precise site-specific deletion produced by Bxb1 in planta demonstrates that this enzyme can be a useful tool for the genetic engineering of plants without selectable marker transgenes or other undesirable exogenous sequences.

Extraction of up to 95% of wheat (Triticum aestivum) flour protein using warm sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) without reduction or sonication.

Extraction of glutenin polymers without sonication is an essential prerequisite for accurate determination of their composition and molecular size distribution. Sequential fractionation of wheat flour with 0.1 M KCl and 0.25% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at 21 degrees C and 2% SDS at 60 degrees C extracted up to 95% of total protein. We propose that 2% SDS at 60 degrees C disrupts hydrogen bonds in glutenin and gliadin aggregates, reduces hydrophobic interactions, and facilitates solubilization. Analysis by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC), reverse-phase (RP)-HPLC, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) revealed that partitioning of gliadins and glutenins among the extracts differed for two flours with good baking quality (Butte 86 and Jagger) and one with poor baking quality (Chinese Spring). More gliadin was associated with the 0.25% SDS extract for Chinese Spring, whereas more gliadin was associated with the 2% SDS extract for Butte 86 and Jagger. Unextractable glutenin polymer was only 4-5% of total protein for Butte 86 and Chinese Spring and 14% for Jagger.

Effects of Temperature, Drought, and Fertilizer Levels on Grain Development and Gluten Protein Gene Expression in a US Wheat Cultivar

In controlled growth experiments, defined regimes of temperature, water and fertilizer between anthesis and maturity influenced the developmental program of a US hard red spring wheat and resulted in kernels that varied in size and protein content. Temperature exerted a pronounced effect on the progression of kernel development. Elevated daytime temperatures significantly compressed the developmental program and decreased mature kernel weights. These effects were intensified by water deficit. In contrast, different fertilizer levels had only moderate effects on the progression of grain development, but had large effects on protein accumulation. Understanding the interacting effects of environmental variables on grain development is an important step towards defining the molecular mechanisms by which the grain responds to abiotic stress.