Granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) diversity of ancient wheat and related species

Granule-bound starch synthase of ancient wheat and related species was examined by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel. A total of 13 different alleles were revealed in a collection of three accessions of diploid wheat, six accessions of tetraploid wheat, 49 accessions of spelt wheat, nine accessions of Sitopsis and two accessions of Aegilops tauschii. A new allele named Wx-A1a' appeared in four spelt wheat accessions. The tetraploid wheat accessions evaluated did not show any polymorphism; nevertheless the tetraploid accessions of Sitopsis section revealed three novel alleles. The novel allele Wx-D(dn)1g was found in two accessions of A. ventricosa and the Wx-D(dcm)1h and Wx-D(dcm)1i in two accessions of A. crassa. A novel allele named Wx-A(u)1g was found in Triticum urartu, which is different from the also new Wx-A(m)1h allele of T. monococcum. The diploid-related species accessions revealed two novel alleles named Wx-B(sl)1h and Wx-B(s)1g found, respectively, in A. longissima and A. speltoides. The amylose content was measured for the different alleles found in all evaluated species and no significant effects of the allele composition on the amylose content were detected.