Mass Isolation of Viable Wheat Embryos

Abstract

COMMERCIAL wheat germ has been a material of choice for biochemical studies ever since its use in the isolation of cytochrome c and cytochrome oxidase¹. For purposes of physiological research, however, the commercial product has a serious limitation, namely, its non-viability. Samples of commercial material were tested for viability by sprinkling the germ on agar plates, or on filter paper moistened with glucose solution. Less than 0.5 per cent of the embryo-like particles showed signs of incipient germination, and none showed development of the cotyledon. Hand isolations of individual wheat embryos have been reported. Such embryos were used, for example, in mapping the intracellular distribution of hexokinase². Hand picking, however, is a tedious and time-consuming process, and we therefore undertook to find a convenient means of preparing laboratory quantities of viable material. As a result, a simple procedure for isolating wheat embryos in relatively large amounts has been developed. One operator can prepare 200–250 gm. in a day. Chinook, a spring wheat, was found to be the most suitable of the several varieties tested.