Allelic variation at α-Amylase loci in hexaploid wheat.

A study of α-amylase isozyme patterns from gibberellin-induced endosperms from more than 200 wheat genotypes has revealed allelic variation at five of the six α-Amy-1 and α-Amy-2 structural loci. These differences will find application as genetic markers and in varietal identification. The α-Amy-B1 locus on chromosome 6B was most variable and displayed eight distinct allelic forms. The nature of the allelic phenotypes, observations of segregating populations and the number of in vivo translation products of mRNAs from the α-Amy-1 and α-Amy-2 loci indicated that the individual loci are multigenic, each consisting of tightly linked subunits which produce several different isoforms.