Effects of the different waxy proteins on starch biosynthesis, starch physicochemical properties and Chinese noodle quality in wheat

• Published in: Molecular breeding Vol. 42; no. 4; p. 23
• Main Authors: Zi, Yan, Cheng, Dungong, Li, Haosheng, Guo, Jun, Ju, Wei, Wang, Canguo, Humphreys, D. G., Liu, Aifeng, Cao, Xinyou, Liu, Cheng, Liu, Jianjun, Zhao, Zhendong, Song, Jianmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: A1 protein; Amylose; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Cultivars; Gene expression; Life Sciences; Molecular biology; Mutants; Noodles; Physicochemical properties; Plant biology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Protein biosynthesis; Proteins; Starch; Wheat; Waxy protein; Amylose content; Starch synthesis; L; Noodle quality; Triticum aestivum L
• ISSN: 1380-3743; 1572-9788
• DOI: 10.1007/s11032-022-01292-x

Noodles are an important food in Asia. Wheat starch is the most important component in Chinese noodles. Loss of the waxy genes leads to lower activity of starch synthesis enzymes and decreased amylose content that further affects starch properties and noodle quality. To study the effects of different waxy (Wx) protein subunits on starch biosynthesis and processing quality, the high-yielding wheat cultivar Jimai 22 was treated with the mutagen ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) to produce a population of Wx lines and chosen 7 Wx protein combinations. The amylose content increased but swelling power decreased as the number of Wx proteins increased. Both GBSS activity and gene expression were the lowest for the waxy mutant, followed by the mutants with 1 Wx protein. The combinations of these mutant alleles lead to reductions in both RNA expression and protein levels. Noodles made from materials with 2 Wx protein subunits had the highest score, which agreed with peak viscosity. The influence of the Wx-B1 protein on amylose synthesis and noodle quality was the highest, whereas the influence of Wx-A1 protein was the lowest. Mutants with lower amylose content caused by the absence of 1 subunit, especially the Wx-B1 subunit, had superior noodle quality. Additionally, the identified mutant lines can be used as intermediate materials to improve wheat quality.