Analysis of the HMW glutenin subunit composition of wheat cultivare by SDS-PAGE

The composition of the high-molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunits of 13 wheat cultivars grown in the Western Cape was determined using Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS-PAGE). The molecular weight of the different subunits was determined using standard proteins with known molecular weights. The Glu-1 quality score and the frequency of the subunits controlled by chromosomes 1A, 1B and 1D were calculated for the different cultivars. Ten different patterns of HMW glutenin subunits consisting of 4–5 protein bands were found. A total of 14 different HMW glutenin subunits were found, enabling most of the cultivars to be identified.