Environmentally-induced changes in protein composition in developing grains of wheat are related to changes in total protein content.

Nitrogen (N) nutrition, post-anthesis temperature and drought-induced changes in the kinetics of accumulation of dry mass, total grain N and protein fractions (albumins-globulins, amphiphils, gliadins, and glutenins) contents were examined for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Crops were grown in controlled environment tunnels in 1994 and 1998. In 1994, five post-anthesis temperatures averaging from 15-25 degrees C were applied during grain-filling. In 1998 two post-anthesis temperatures averaging 13 degrees C and 20 degrees C were applied and factorized with two post-anthesis water regimes. In 1994 crops also were grown in the field, where different application rates and timing of N nutrition were tested. When expressed in thermal time, the kinetics of accumulation of the protein fractions were not significantly affected by post-anthesis temperature or drought; whereas N nutrition significantly increased the rate and duration of accumulation of storage proteins. Albumin-globulin proteins accumulated during the early stage of grain development. The rate of accumulation of that fraction decreased significantly at c. 250 degrees Cd after anthesis, when the storage proteins (gliadins and glutenins) started to accumulate significantly. Single allometric relationships for the different environmental conditions exist between the quantity of each protein fraction and the total quantity of N per grain. From these results it was concluded that (1) the process of N partitioning is neither significantly affected by post-anthesis temperature or drought nor by the rate and timing of N nutrition and (2) at maturity, variations in protein fraction composition are mainly because of differences in the total quantity of N accumulated during grain-filling.

[1]  P. Langridge,et al.  Purification and biochemical characterization of triticin, a legumin-like protein in wheat endosperm , 1991 .

[2]  C. Wrigley,et al.  Temperature Variation During Grain Filling and Changes in Wheat-Grain Quality , 1994 .

[3]  D. Aspinall,et al.  The physiology of starch and protein deposition in the endosperm of wheat. , 1990 .

[4]  J. Lloveras,et al.  Environmental effects on the quality of two wheat genotypes: 1. quantitative and qualitative variation of storage proteins , 2000 .

[5]  C. Wrigley,et al.  Contrasting effects of chronic heat stress and heat shock on kernel weight and flour quality in wheat. , 2002, Functional plant biology : FPB.

[6]  C. Hughes,et al.  The Developing Endosperm of Wheat — A Stereological Analysis , 1979 .

[7]  T. Lelley,et al.  Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on Quantity of Flour Protein Components, Dough Properties, and Breadmaking Quality of Wheat , 1997 .

[8]  J. Autran,et al.  Changes in Protein Complexes of Durum Wheat in Developing Seed , 1994 .

[9]  P. Randall,et al.  Some effects of temperature regime during grain filling on wheat quality. , 1990 .

[10]  R. Hamer,et al.  Critical Review Functional Properties of Wheat Glutenin , 1996 .

[11]  S. Masci,et al.  The gluten proteins , 2004 .

[12]  E. Triboi,et al.  Productivity and grain or seed composition: a new approach to an old problem—invited paper , 2002 .

[13]  K. Khan,et al.  Effects of genotype and environment on glutenin polymers and breadmaking quality , 2001 .

[14]  M. Müller,et al.  The nitrogen response of a barley C-hordein promoter is controlled by positive and negative regulation of the GCN4 and endosperm box. , 1993, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[15]  M. Nicolas,et al.  Comparison of sudden heat stress with gradual exposure to high temperature during grain filling in two wheat varieties differing in heat tolerance. II. Fractional protein accumulation , 1998 .

[16]  P. Shewry,et al.  Cereal seed storage proteins: structures, properties and role in grain utilization. , 2002, Journal of experimental botany.

[17]  M. Holdsworth,et al.  In vivo footprinting of a low molecular weight glutenin gene (LMWG‐1D1) in wheat endosperm. , 1993, The EMBO journal.

[18]  P. Jamieson,et al.  Towards modelling quality in wheat - from grain nitrogen concentration to protein composition , 2001 .

[19]  Mikhail A. Semenov,et al.  Modelling nitrogen uptake and redistribution in wheat , 2000 .

[20]  P. Debaeke,et al.  Effects of nitrogen fertilization and maturation conditions on protein aggregates and on the breadmaking quality of Soissons, a common wheat cultivar , 1996 .

[21]  D. Marion,et al.  Effect of Puroindolines on the Breadmaking Properties of Wheat Flour , 1998 .

[22]  G. Branlard,et al.  Genetic diversity of wheat storage proteins and bread wheat quality , 2004, Euphytica.

[23]  L. Copeland,et al.  Proteome Approach to the Characterisation of Protein Composition in the Developing and Mature Wheat-grain Endosperm , 2000 .

[24]  F. Corke,et al.  An analysis of seed development inPisum sativum L. , 1990, Protoplasma.

[25]  I. Batey,et al.  Seasonal changes in wheat-grain quality associated with high temperatures during grain filling , 1991 .

[26]  P. S. Baenziger,et al.  Genotypic and Environmental Modification of Wheat Flour Protein Composition in Relation to End-Use Quality , 1996 .

[27]  C. Daniel,et al.  Effects of Temperature and Nitrogen Nutrition on the Grain Composition of Winter Wheat: Effects on Gliadin Content and Composition , 2000 .

[28]  D. Lafiandra,et al.  Accumulation of protein subunits and their polymers in developing grains of hexaploid wheats , 1996 .

[29]  P. Shewry,et al.  Nutritional control of storage-protein synthesis in developing grain of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) , 1983, Planta.

[30]  I. Batey,et al.  Relationships between protein composition and functional properties of wheat flours , 1992 .

[31]  D. Marion,et al.  Structure, Biological and Technological Functions of Lipid Transfer Proteins and Indolines, the Major Lipid Binding Proteins from Cereal Kernels , 2000 .

[32]  M. Nicolas,et al.  Varietal Differences in Mature Protein Composition of Wheat Resulted From Different Rates of Polymer Accumulation During Grain Filling , 1996 .

[33]  Eva Johansson,et al.  Effects of Wheat Cultivar and Nitrogen Application on Storage Protein Composition and Breadmaking Quality , 2001 .

[34]  O. K. Chung,et al.  Protein Distributions Among Hard Red Winter Wheat Varieties as Related to Environment and Baking Quality , 1997 .

[35]  G. J. S. Ross,et al.  Parallel Model Analysis: Fitting Non-Linear Models to Several Sets of Data , 1984 .

[36]  F. Macritchie,et al.  Genetic control and biochemical properties of some high molecular weight albumins in bread wheat , 1991 .

[37]  H. Wieser,et al.  The influence of nitrogen fertilisation on quantities and proportions of different protein types in wheat flour , 1998 .

[38]  J. Stark,et al.  Relative sensitivity of spring wheat grain yield and quality parameters to moisture deficit , 2001 .

[39]  Richard D. Thompson,et al.  Synthesis of mRNAs coding for abundant endosperm proteins during wheat grain development , 1986 .

[40]  M. Nicolas,et al.  Comparison of Sudden Heat Stress With Gradual Exposure to High Temperature During Grain Filling in Two Wheat Varieties Differing in Heat Tolerance. I. Grain Growth , 1995 .

[41]  F. Corke,et al.  Storage protein gene expression is localised to regions lacking mitotic activity in developing pea embryos. An analysis of seed development in Pisum sativum XIV. , 1990, Development.

[42]  J. Stark,et al.  End-use quality of six hard red spring wheat cultivars at different irrigation levels , 2000 .

[43]  H. Giese,et al.  Influence of nitrogen nutrition on the amount of hordein, protein Z and β-amylase messenger RNA in developing endosperms of barley , 1984 .

[44]  J. Huet,et al.  The amino acid composition of wheat grain as a function of nitrogen content , 1985 .

[45]  D. Lafiandra,et al.  The formation of glutenin polymer in practice , 1999 .

[46]  P. Shewry,et al.  Nutritional control of storage protein synthesis in developing grain of wheat and barley , 2001, Plant Growth Regulation.

[47]  Jaswinder Singh,et al.  Albumin and Globulin Proteins of Wheat Flour: Immunological and N-terminal Sequence Characterisation , 2001 .

[48]  C. Wrigley,et al.  Growth Environment and Wheat Quality: the Effect of Heat Stress on Dough Properties and Gluten Proteins , 1993 .

[49]  M. Gale,et al.  Cell Production and DNA Accumulation in the Wheat Endosperm, and their Association with Grain Weight , 1986 .

[50]  P. Roepstorff,et al.  Proteome Analysis of Grain Filling and Seed Maturation in Barley1 , 2002, Plant Physiology.

[51]  J. Landry.  A linear model for quantitating the accumulation of zeins and their fractions (α+δ, β&γ) in developing endosperm of wild-type and mutant maizes , 2002 .

[52]  J. Landry,et al.  Quantitative estimation of accumulation of protein fractions in unripe and ripe maize grain , 1976 .

[53]  K. F. Finney,et al.  Effect on Loaf Volume of High Temperatures During the Fruiting Period of Wheat 1 , 1958 .

[54]  H. Eagles,et al.  Changes in protein composition during grain development in wheat , 2001 .

[55]  C. Daniel,et al.  Changes in wheat protein aggregation during grain development: effects of temperatures and water stress , 2002 .