Somaclonal variation in the gliadin patterns of grains of regenerated wheat plants

The banding patterns of the gliadin storage proteins of the grains of 590 regenerated plants from six wheat cultivars were examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using lactate buffer. Variation additional to that present in control material was observed at a low frequency (∼1%). Two variant lines showed extensive changes in banding patterns which were accompanied by morphological variation of the plants. More limited variation in the form of an extra ω–gliadin band was observed in a third line. Differences in the seed gliadins were not found in four lines which had shown stable phenotypic changes in height in field trials.