Characterization of gluten quality of single-locus wheat lines with double null alleles at the Glu-1 locus

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42976-025-00759-9

Cereal Research Communications，08 January 2026

Shoufen Dai,Lingling Liang,Xiaorong Deng,Sisi Dong,Na Zhang,Chunmei He,Shiqi Luo,Jihao Chen,Fen Lu,Yapeng Li,Zixuan Fan,Bo Lu,Fanli Jing,Gang Liu &Zehong Yan

Abstract

High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) are critical determinants of wheat flour end-use quality. Wheat lines expressing HMW-GS exclusively at Glu-A1, Glu-B1, or Glu-D1 (single-locus lines, SL lines) had potential value for weak gluten wheat breeding. In this study, 17 SL lines were developed, and their gluten and polymeric protein contents were determined. These lines exhibited substantial variation in contents of gluten, Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-extractable polymeric proteins (EPP), and unextractable polymeric proteins (UPP), as well as micro-SDS sedimentation values. All lines exhibited elevated HMW-GS levels and consequently higher HMW-GS to low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS/LMW-GS) and HMW-GS to glutenin (HMW-GS/glutenin) ratios compared to the control Sc3N. The majority of lines also displayed increased LMW-GS and glutenin content. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering revealed these lines had different gluten properties and grouped into different clades. Notably, certain SL lines (e.g., SL-A1b, SL-A1a, and SL -D1l) displayed significantly lower HMW-GS and glutenin content, lower HMW-GS/LMW-GS and HMW-GS/glutenin ratios, and higher gliadin to glutenin ratio compared to other lines. Additionally, five of the eight SL lines expressing Glu-D1 (except for SL-D1c, SL-D1l, and SL-D1f) showed significantly higher UPP% (P < 0.05) than the other lines. Owing to their weak gluten strength and low UPP content and percentage, three lines (SL-A1b, SL-D1f, and SL-D1l) are promising candidates for biscuit production. These germplasms represent valuable resources for improving the quality of weak gluten wheat.