Characterization and quantification of low molecular weight glutenins in durum wheats

Durum wheat proteins have been considered as a model because of the very clear-cut relationship previously evidenced between the electrophoretic type '42' or '45' of the components that are coded by the Gli-B1 chromosome locus and the intrinsic quality (gluten viscoelasticity) of cultivars. The proteins from 4 cultivars were subjected to sequential extraction and separated into five groups, respectively, in: NaCl, EtOH (gliadins-I), EtOH + mercaptoethanol (ME) (gliadins-II), AcOH + ME (glutenins-I) and SDS + ME (glutenins-II) and characterized using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), SDS-PAGE and 2-dimensional (NEPHGE X SDS - PAGE) electrophoretic systems. EtOH-soluble fractions were also separated by ion-exchange chromatography, each fraction being characterized in PAGE and SDS-PAGE and its composition in major bands determined by densitometry. From the ratio of each chromatographic fraction and of each solubility group, an estimation of the major bands or electrophoretic zones was also made in respect to the whole proteins. In 'type 45' cultivars, it was shown that only 67% of the EtOH-soluble fraction (although considered as classical gliadins) had a monomeric character, giving rise to discrete bands in PAGE systems. The remainder (33%) were aggregated fractions, essentially those referred to as low molecular weight glutenins (LMWG), that migrate, upon reduction only, in SDS-PAGE systems. LMWG make up 27% of total proteins and are revealed as a strong triplet in the 44,500-51,500 MW region, in gliadin-I and especially in gliadin-II groups. In type '42' cultivars, the LMWG ratio is reduced about by half (18% of EtOH soluble fraction, 14% of total proteins). This difference, coupled with their aggregative behavior, leads to their consideration as the major functional markers of gluten quality, gliadins 42/45 being genetic markers only. Without excluding possible physicochemical differences between different LMWG allelic types, it is hypothesized that quantitative differences could explain by themselves the quality differences between the two durum wheat genetic types. Concerning the other aggregative fractions, like high molecular weight glutenin (HMWG) subunits in glutenin-I and II groups, they do not show (unlike bread wheats) quantitative or qualitative differences large enough to play a major role in explaining genetic differences in durum wheat gluten characteristics. It is recommended, especially for physicochemical studies of wheat quality, to rely on a protein classification based on monomeric or aggregative characteristics, instead of Osborne's scheme based only on fractionation by solubility.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)