Variation in wheat germ agglutinin content under moisture stress

Abstract

In spite of its physio-chemical and biological properties being characterized, the physiological role of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is still a matter of conjecture [1]. Recently we have reported differential accumulation of WGA in the germinating embroys of different wheat cultivars under osmotic stress conditions [2]. But the effect of water stress on WGA accumulation in the developing grains and its variability in different wheat cultivars under natural conditions is not known. Therefore, to gain insight into the physiological role of WGA in water stress conditions, the variability in WGA accumulation in developing grains of wheat cultivars and its regulation in response to drought has been investigated. These studies have revealed substantial variability in WGA content and its induction by water stress in different wheat cultivars. To determine the molecular basis of this variability we carried out restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) studies using WGA eDNA [3] as a probe.