Project description:Here is reported the first study of transcriptome analyses using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform for three kinds of wheat (G represents Strong gluten wheat, Z represents middle gluten wheat,R represents weak gluten wheat). The variation of wheat varieties with different gluten content is mainly shown in the content of gluten, flour is divided into high gluten powder ( > 30%), medium gluten powder (26%-30%) and low gluten powder ( < 20%), according to the wet gluten content. In total, over 102.6 Gb clean reads were produced and 114, 621 unigenes were assembled; more than 59,085 unigenes had at least one significant match to an existing gene model. Differentially expressed gene analysis identified 2339 and 2600 unigenes which were expressed higher or lower among strong gluten, middle gluten and weak gluten wheat. After functional annotation and classification, three dominant pathways including protein isomerase, antioxidase activity and energy metabolism, and 410 unigenes related to gluten strength polymerization of wheat were discovered. In strong-gluten wheat, low molecular weight subunit content is higher than weak-gluten wheat, and the activity of cysteine synthase and isomerase is increased, which may promote the cross-linking of low molecular weight protein to high molecular weight protein. Meanwhile, POD enzyme strengthens gluten network and CAT enzyme affects gluten polymerization, along with higher ATPase activity, which will provides energy for protein polymerization reaction in comparison of strong-gluten wheat and weak-gluten wheat. The accuracy of these RNA-seq data was validated by qRT-PCR analysis. These data will extend our knowledge of quality characteristics of wheat and provide a theoretical foundation for molecular mechanism research of wheat.
Project description:Within the complex wheat flour proteome, the gluten proteins have attracted most of the attention because of their importance in determining the functional properties of wheat flour doughs and their roles in human health conditions such as celiac disease and food allergies. However, certain non-gluten proteins also trigger immunological responses but may be present in flour in low amounts or obscured by the more abundant gluten proteins in two-dimensional gels of total protein preparations. Non-gluten proteins were preferentially extracted from the flour with a dilute salt solution and separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Proteins in 172 gel spots were identified by tandem mass spectrometry after cleavage with trypsin or chymotrypsin. Fifty-seven different types of non-gluten proteins were identified, including 14 types that are known or suspected immunogenic proteins. The predominant proteins in 18 gel spots were gluten proteins. Transgenic wheat lines in which specific groups of gluten proteins were suppressed by RNA interference were used to estimate the amount of carry-over of gluten proteins in the salt-soluble protein fraction. Analysis of salt-soluble proteins from a transgenic line missing omega-1,2 gliadins demonstrated that certain omega-1,2 gliadins were present in large amounts in the salt-soluble fraction and obscured relatively small amounts of beta-amylase and protein disulfide isomerase. In comparison, analysis of a transgenic line in which alpha gliadins were absent revealed that glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase was a moderately abundant protein that co-migrated with several alpha gliadins. The proteomic map of the non-gluten protein fraction of wheat flour developed in this study complements a proteomic map of the total flour proteins developed previously for the same cultivar. Knowing the identities of low abundance proteins in the flour as well as proteins that are hidden by some of the major gluten proteins on two-dimensional gels is critical for studies aimed at assessing the immunogenic potential of wheat flour and determining how the growth conditions of the plants affect the levels of specific immunogenic proteins in the flour.
Project description:While the antigenic specificity and pathogenic relevance of immunologic reactivity to gluten in celiac disease have been extensively researched, the immune response to non-gluten proteins of wheat has not been characterized. We aimed to investigate the level and molecular specificity of antibody response to wheat non-gluten proteins in celiac disease. Serum samples from patients and controls were screened for IgG and IgA antibody reactivity to a non-gluten protein extract from the wheat cultivar Triticum aestivum 'Butte 86'. Antibodies were further analyzed for reactivity to specific non-gluten proteins by immunoblotting, following two-dimensional gel electrophoretic separation. Immunoreactive molecules were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Compared with healthy controls, patients exhibited significantly higher levels of antibody reactivity to non-gluten proteins. The main immunoreactive non-gluten antibody target proteins were identified as serpins, purinins, α-amylase/protease inhibitors, globulins, and farinins. Assessment of reactivity towards purified recombinant proteins further confirmed the presence of antibody response to specific antigens. The results demonstrate that, in addition to the well-recognized immune reaction to gluten, celiac disease is associated with a robust humoral response directed at a specific subset of the non-gluten proteins of wheat
Project description:The biological functions of circadian clock on growth and development have been well elucidated in model plants, while its regulatory roles in crop species, especially the roles on yield-related traits are poorly understood. Here, we characterize the core clock gene CCA1 homoeologs in wheat and studied their biological functions in seedling growth and spike development. TaCCA1 homoeologs exhibit typical diurnal expression patterns which are positively regulated by rhythmic histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K9ac and H3k36me3). TaCCA1s are preferentially located in the nucleus and tend to form both homo- and heterodimers. TaCCA1 overexpression (TaCCA1-OE) transgenic wheat plants show disrupted circadian rhythmicity coupling with reduced chlorophyll and starch content, as well as biomass at seedling stage, also decreased spike length, grain number per spike and grain size at the ripening stage. Further studies using DNA affinity purification followed by deep sequencing (DAP-seq) indicates that TaCCA1 preferentially binds to sequences similar to “evening elements” (EE) motif in the wheat genome, particularly genes associated with photosynthesis, carbon utilization and auxin homeostasis, and decreased transcriptional levels of these target genes are observed in TaCCA1-OE transgenic wheat plants. Collectively, our study provides novel insights into a circadian-mediated mechanism of gene regulation to coordinate photo synthetic and metabolic activities in wheat, which is important for optimal plant growth and crop yield formation.
Project description:Transcript changes in response to low temperature Total RNA for RNA-seq analysis were extracted from wheat leaf tissues with three biological replicates for each growth condition.
Project description:The pistillody mutant wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plant HTS-1 exhibits homeotic transformation of stamens into pistils or pistil-like structures. Unlike common wheat varieties, HTS-1 produces three to six pistils per floret, potentially increasing the yield. Thus, HTS-1 is highly valuable in the study of floral development in wheat. In this study, we conducted RNA sequencing of the transcriptomes of the pistillody stamen (PS) and the pistil (P) from HTS-1 plants, and the stamen (S) from the non-pistillody control variety Chinese Spring TP to gain insights into pistil and stamen development in wheat.
Project description:Objective: Germination of wheat maximizes phytochemical content and antioxidant activity while altering chemical composition, gluten content, and pasting properties. We previously reported marked changes in gene expression in soybean prior to germination before the radicle had grown from a seed. The present study investigated whether imibibition induces similar changes in wheat. Methods: Changes in gene expression profiles of wheat during short-term imbibition (0, 16, and 24 h) were evaluated by DNA microarray analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was carried out to categorize the function of genes with altered expression. The expression of genes encoding enzymes associated with starch breakdown was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR, and changes in enzymatic activity were assessed with functional assays. Pasting properties of flour made from wheat seeds imbibed for different times were examined with a Rapid Visco Analyzer. The protein profile was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and gluten content was quantified. Results: The GO analysis revealed that genes related to cellulose and cell wall synthesis were upregulated by imbibition for 16 h whereas those associated with polysaccharide catabolism and nucleosome assembly were upregulated in the subsequent 8 h. α-Amylase expression was highest after 24-h imbibition, with a corresponding increase in enzymatic activity. The pasting properties of wheat flour decreased when seeds were imbibed for over 16 h. Gluten was not degraded until 48 h imbibition. Conclusion: Short-term imbibition of wheat can produce a new type of starch with improved physical and functional properties that may be more appealing to consumers.