Proteomic analysis of the metabolic fractions in modern and old wheat genotypes: a qualitative and quantitative comparison

Wheat, due to its adaptability to a wide range of environments and for the unique functional properties of its flour, represents the most widely grown, processed, and consumed cereal by humankind of temperate regions. Most of the modern wheat genotypes are derived from old wheats and have appreciable properties in terms of grain yield. Wheat is also the causing factors of many adverse reactions, such as celiac disease, allergies and non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS) in susceptible people. This has led to an increasing interest for the old wheat genotypes which are generally considered better tolerated than the modern ones, but without any scientific evidence. The aim of the present work is the qualitative and quantitative comparison by a proteomic approach of the metabolic protein fractions extracted from the mature kernel of two old Sicilian durum wheat landraces (Russello and Timilia reste bianche), and Simeto, an improved durum wheat variety, widely spread in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, chosen as representative of the most widely commercial cultivars. The qualitative comparison of the protein composition revealed a remarkable similarity between old and modern cultivar. The quantitative evaluation of the identified proteins shows that some proteins are differentially expressed in old and modern varieties.