Pleiotropic increases in free non-polar lipid, glycolipid and phospholipid contents in waxy bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain

BACKGROUND: Diethyl ether-extractable free lipid (FL), non-polar or neutral lipid (NL), glycolipid (GL) and phospholipid (PL) contents and water-saturated 1-butanol (WSB)-extractable non-starch lipid (NSL)monogalactosyldiglyceride (MGDG), digalactosyldiglyceride (DGDG) and phosphatidylcholine (PC)contents in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain were evaluated to elucidate the possible influence of the Wx-D1 gene on the lipid composition. RESULTS: Waxy near-isogenic lines with a non-functional Wx-D1d allele showed consistently increased NL, GL and PL contents among FL and MGDG, DGDG and PC contents among NSL compared with non-waxy near-isogenic lines with a functional Wx-D1a allele throughout three growing/harvest seasons. However, the proportion of NL, GL and PL among FL was not influenced by the non-waxy/waxy state of the endosperm. The nearly non-functional Wx-D1f allele influenced the FL and NL contents in a similar manner to the non-functional allele across two seasons, while the partly functional Wx-D1g allele only affected the NL content. CONCLUSION: The Wx-D1 locus has pleiotropic effects on the diethyl ether-extractable FL, NL, GL and PL contents and WSB-extractable MGDG, DGDG and PC contents of bread wheat grain. The non-functional Wx-D1d allele causes an increase in the levels of these lipids. Copyright (C) 2012 Society of Chemical Industry