ELECTROPHORETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SPRING SPELT WHEAT GLIADINS

Gliadin compositions of 95 spring spelts, 5 winter spelts, and Neepawa Hard Red Spring (HRS) wheat were evaluated by acid-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (A-PAGE). Five spring spelts grown in thr;ee environm ents over 2 years were compared to the HRS cultivar Katepwa using A-PA GE and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS- PAGE). On the basis of the scoring of 13 bands, the spring and winter spelts diverged widely from Neepawa HRS wheat. None of the spring spel ts evaluated had a gliadin protein profile identical to that of commer cially available winter spelt. Spring and winter spelts were different iated from Katepwa HRS wheat based on omega-gliadin composition, in wh ich common wheat was characterized by the presence of a slow-moving om ega-gliadin and a strong-staining fast-moving omega-gliadin. Common wh eat and spring spelt accessions SK0505, SK0263, and RL5407 (black-hull ed spelts) had a distinct strong band in the gamma-gliadin region with MW of about 64K which was absent in winter spelts and the spring spel ts SK0021 and PGR8801 (white-hulled spelts). The molecular weights of gliadin proteins were in the range of 34K-75K.