A new puroindoline b mutation present in Chinese winter wheat cultivar Jingdong 11

Kernel hardness is one of the most important characteristics in determining utilization and marketing of bread wheat. Genes coding for puroindoline a and b (PINA and PINB) were located at the Ha locus and designated as Pina-D1 and Pinb-D1, respectively. The coding sequence of the Pinb gene in a Chinese winter wheat cultivar Jingdong 11 (Triticum aestivum L.) was amplified with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the obtained 447-by fragment sequenced from two strands, and compared with the eight known Pinb alleles. The results showed that Jingdong 11 possessed a new Pinb allele not reported previously, and was designated as Pinb-D1q. It is characterized by a single base T to G substitution, which results in a tryptophan to leucine substitution (TGG to TTG) at position 44 and is most likely the cause of hard grain texture in Jingdong 11. The characterization of Pinb-D1 alleles would be helpful in manipulating grain hardness of bread wheat in breeding programs. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.