Cereal seed composition and end use quality
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
Cereals are the major arable crops in the UK and provide food, feed and raw materials for industry. Different end uses require different composition in terms of the amounts and compositions of the major grain components: starch, protein and cell wall polysaccharides. This project therefore uses a range of approaches (including metabolomics, transcriptomics and transgenesis) to dissect the pathways and mechanisms that determine cereal grain composition and to exploit this information to tailor the composition for traditional and novel end use requirements.
Specific targets are:-
1. Manipulating the amounts and composition of wheat endosperm cell walls for health (dietary fibre), feed and processing (distilling, biofuels).
2. Understanding the mechanisms by which proteins determine grain mechanical and functional properties.
3. Manipulating the patterns of gene expression and pathways of protein trafficking and deposition to develop novel wheats with improved processing properties.
Specific targets are:-
1. Manipulating the amounts and composition of wheat endosperm cell walls for health (dietary fibre), feed and processing (distilling, biofuels).
2. Understanding the mechanisms by which proteins determine grain mechanical and functional properties.
3. Manipulating the patterns of gene expression and pathways of protein trafficking and deposition to develop novel wheats with improved processing properties.
Planned Impact
unavailable
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Peter Shewry (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Van Herpen TW
(2008)
Detailed analysis of the expression of an alpha-gliadin promoter and the deposition of alpha-gliadin protein during wheat grain development.
in Annals of botany
Wang Y
(2010)
Expression of the 1Ax1 transgene in an elite Chinese wheat variety and its effect on functional properties.
in Journal of the science of food and agriculture
Wijesinha-Bettoni R
(2010)
The structural characteristics of nonspecific lipid transfer proteins explain their resistance to gastroduodenal proteolysis.
in Biochemistry
Wilkinson M
(2008)
Identification and genetic mapping of variant forms of puroindoline b expressed in developing wheat grain
in Journal of Cereal Science
Zhao F
(2009)
Variation in mineral micronutrient concentrations in grain of wheat lines of diverse origin
in Journal of Cereal Science
Zhao F
(2010)
Accumulation, Distribution, and Speciation of Arsenic in Wheat Grain
in Environmental Science & Technology
| Description | Identified key genes encoding enzymes of arabinoxylan synthesis in wheat and demonstrated their functions and effects on AX structure and amount by transgenesis Identified beta-glucan synthase genes in wheat and demonstrated effects on glucan structure and size by transgenesis Identified genetic sources of high arabinoxylan fibre in wheat for exploitation in breeding |
| Exploitation Route | Projects have been developed with plant breeders to develop high and low fibre wheat for human health and biofuels/distilling, respectively |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |