Abstract
Background Spring bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) represents the main cereal crop in Northern Kazakhstan. The quality of wheat grain and flour strongly depends on the structure of gluten, comprised of gliadin and glutenin proteins. Electrophoresis spectra of gliadins are not altered by environmental conditions or plant growth, are easily reproducible and very useful for wheat germplasm identification in addition to DNA markers. Genetic polymorphism of two Gli loci encoding gliadins can be used for selection of preferable genotypes of wheat with high grain quality. Methods Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyse genetic diversity of gliadins in a germplasm collection of spring bread wheat from Northern Kazakhstan. Results The highest frequencies of gliadin alleles were found as follows, in Gli1 : -A1 f (39.3%), -B1 e (71.9%), and -D1 a (41.0%); and in Gli-2 : -A2 q (17.8%), -B2 t (13.5%), and -D2 q (20.4%). The combination of these alleles in a single genotype may be associated with higher quality of grain as well as better adaptation to the dry environment of Northern Kazakhstan; preferable for wheat breeding in locations with similar conditions.