Overexpressing wheat low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits in rice ( L. cv. Koami) seeds.

Genes encoding wheat low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GSs) that confer dough strength and extensibility were previously identified from Korean wheat cultivars. To improve low viscoelasticity of rice ( L.) dough caused by the lack of seed storage proteins comparable to wheat gluten, two genes, and , encoding LMW-GSs are cloned from Korean wheat cultivar Jokyoung. The genes are inserted into binary vectors under the control of the rice endosperm-specific promoter. Transgenic rice plants expressing LMW03 or LMW28 in their seeds are generated using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The expression of recombinant wheat LMW-GS in the transgenic rice seeds was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis. Their accumulation in the endosperm and aleurone layers of rice seeds was observed through in situ immuno-hybridization.