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:Peptides released from gluten proteins during gastrointestinal digestion can trigger various wheat-related disorders, including celiac disease (CeD), wheat allergy, and wheat allergy dependent on augmentation factors (WALDA). Our study aimed to identify and quantify these immunoreactive peptides (IPs) in relation to gluten digestibility. We compared the gluten digestibility of different cereals and examined its temperature-dependent impact. Wheat, rye, and barley flours, along with their yeast-leavened and sourdough-fermented breads, were subjected to simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion following the INFOGEST protocol. The resulting peptides were identified and relatively quantified using nano liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The residual gluten peptide content in the digesta was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. No differences in digestibility were observed between white wheat flour and whole grain flour. Among the three cereals, barley flour had the lowest digestibility, while wheat flour had the highest, based on average peptide sequence length and gluten content of the digesta. We identified 569 IPs in wheat flour digesta, compared to only 388 IPs found in rye and barley samples, respectively. For wheat and barley, most IPs were linked to CeD, whereas rye showed equal abundance of IPs associated with both CeD and WALDA. A comparison of digestibility between bread crust and crumb revealed that higher temperatures, as reached in the crust, reduced gluten digestibility and increased IP abundance. Furthermore, the gluten digestibility of the crumb was higher than that of the flour, indicating that the bread-making process positively affected digestibility.
Project description:Drought stress is becoming more prevalent with global warming, and has been shown to have large effects on gluten proteins linked to wheat bread making quality. Likewise, low temperature stress can detrimentally affect proteins in wheat. This study was done to determine the differential expression of high molecular weight (HMW) glutenin proteins in a drought and low temperature stressed high quality hard red spring wheat cultivar (PAN3478), against a control. The treatments were applied in the greenhouse at the soft dough stage. HMW glutenin proteins were extracted from the flour, and separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Protein spots that had p values lower than 0.05 and fold value equal to or greater than 1.2 were considered significantly differentially expressed. These proteins were further analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry.
Project description:Gluten proteins are responsible for the unique viscoelastic properties of wheat dough, but they also trigger the immune response in celiac disease patients. RNA interference (RNAi) wheat lines with strongly silenced gliadins were obtained to reduce the immunogenic response of wheat. The E82 line presents the highest reductions of gluten, but other grain proteins increased, maintaining a total nitrogen content comparable to that of the wild type. To better understand the regulatory mechanisms in response to gliadin silencing, we carried out a transcriptomic analysis of grain and leaf tissues of the E82 line during grain filling. A network of candidate transcription factors (TFs) that regulates the synthesis of the seed storage proteins (SSPs), α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors, lipid transfer proteins, serpins, and starch in the grain was obtained. Moreover, there were a high number of differentially expressed genes in the leaf of E82, where processes such as nutrient availability and transport were enriched. The source-sink communication between leaf and grain showed that many down-regulated genes were related to protease activity, amino acid and sugar metabolism, and their transport. In the leaf, specific proline transporters and lysine-histidine transporters were down- and up-regulated respectively. Overall, the silencing of gliadins in the RNAi line is compensated mainly with lysine-rich globulins, which are not related to the proposed candidate network of TFs, suggesting that these proteins are independently regulated to the other SSPs. Results reported here can explain the protein compensation mechanisms and contribute to decipher the complex TF network operating during grain filling.
Project description:The increasing presence of nanoplastics in agricultural soils, particularly polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs), poses a novel and underestimated threat to crop productivity and food security. The impact of plastics has recently been investigated in cereals confirming that PSNPs can be absorbed by plants through the roots and subsequently translocated to other plant organs. While extensive research has focused on bread wheat, the effects of PSNPs on durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) remain largely unexplored. In this study, we examined the transcriptomic response to PSNPs exposure in two durum wheat lines: Kronos (wild type) and MRP3, a low-phytate mutant generated via TILLING. The MRP3 line carries deleterious mutation in the Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein 3 (MRP3) genes, which encodes a vacuolar transporter of phytic acid.
Project description:Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Fielder) plants were grown under iron (Fe) deficient hydroponic conditions to analyise transcriptomic changes in leaf and root tissue.
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:Drought is among the most limiting factors for sustainable agricultural production. Water shortage at the onset of flowering severely affects the quality and quantity of grain yield of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). Herein, we measured oxidative stress and photosynthesis-related parameters upon applying transient drought on contrasting wheat cultivars at the flowering initiation stage of ontogenesis. The sensitive cultivar showed ineffective water management and a more severe decline of photosynthesis. Apparently, the tolerant genotype used photorespiration to dissipate excessive light energy. The tolerant cultivar sooner induced superoxide dismutase and showed less inhibited photosynthesis. Such protective effect resulted in less affected yield and spectrum of seed proteome. The tolerant cultivar had a more stable gluten profile, which defines bread-making quality, upon drought. Drought caused the accumulation of medically relevant proteins: (i) components of gluten in the sensitive cultivar and (ii) metabolic proteins in the tolerant cultivar. We propose specific proteins as markers of drought tolerance for guiding efficient breeding: thaumatin-like protein, 14-3-3 protein, peroxiredoxins, peroxidase, FBD domain protein, and Ap2/ERF plus B3 domain protein.