Developmental and environmental effects on the assembly of glutenin polymers and the impact on grain quality of wheat

Wheat kernel development can be divided into three phases i.e. cell division, cell enlargement and dehydration. Accumulation of gluten proteins continues till the end of the cell enlargement phase. During the dehydration phase, post-translational polymerization of the glutenin subunits occurs to form very large glutenin polymers. Assembly of the glutenin polymers has been monitored by increase in the unextractable polymeric protein. Lines possessing HMW-GS related to dough strength (e.g. 5 + 10) started accumulating large polymers several days earlier than lines with HMW-GS related to dough weakness (e.g. 2 + 12) and maintained their higher amounts till maturity. This may be explained by faster polymerization resulting from a higher concentration of cysteine residues in the x-type HMW-GS.