Search

Potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. cvs Desiree and Record) transformed with sense and antisense constructs of a cDNA encoding the potato fructokinase StFK1 exhibited altered transcription of this gene, altered amount of protein and altered enzyme activities. Measurement of the maximal catalytic activity of fructokinase revealed a 2-fold variation in leaf (from 90 to 180% of wild type activity) and either a 10- or 30-fold variation in tuber (from 10 or 30% to 300% in Record and Desiree, respectively) activity. The comparative effect of the antisense construct in leaf and tuber tissue suggests that this isoform is only a minor contributor to the total fructokinase activity in the leaf but the predominant isoform in the tuber. Antisense inhibition of the fructokinase resulted in a reduced tuber yield; however, its overexpression had no impact on this parameter. The modulation of fructokinase activity had few, consistent effects on carbohydrate levels, with the exception of a general increase in glucose content in the antisense lines, suggesting that this enzyme is not important for the control of starch synthesis. However, when metabolic fluxes were estimated, it became apparent that the transgenic lines display a marked shift in metabolism, with the rate of redistribution of radiolabel to sucrose markedly affected by the activity of fructokinase. These data suggest an important role for fructokinase, acting in concert with sucrose synthase, in maintaining a balance between sucrose synthesis and degradation by a mechanism independent of that controlled by the hexose phosphate-mediated activation of sucrose phosphate synthase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the sequence analysis, genomic organization and gene expression of StNR2 and StNR3 cDNA clones representing alleles of the nitrate reductase gene of potato, Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Desiree. Comparison of deduced amino acid sequence encoded by StNR2 and StNR3 cDNA; Distribution of nitrate reductase transcript and activity.

In order to enhance the carotenoid content of potato tubers, transgenic potato plants have been produced expressing an Erwinia uredovora crtB gene encoding phytoene synthase, specifically in the tuber of Solanum tuberosum L. cultivar Desiree which normally produces tubers containing c. 5.6 microg carotenoid g(-1) DW and also in Solanum phureja L. cv. Mayan Gold which has a tuber carotenoid content of typically 20 microg carotenoid g(-1) DW. In developing tubers of transgenic crtB Desiree lines, carotenoid levels reached 35 microg carotenoid g(-1) DW and the balance of carotenoids changed radically compared with controls: beta-carotene levels in the transgenic tubers reached c. 11 microg g(-1) DW, whereas control tubers contained negligible amounts and lutein accumulated to a level 19-fold higher than empty-vector transformed controls. The crtB gene was also transformed into S. phureja (cv. Mayan Gold), again resulting in an increase in total carotenoid content to 78 microg carotenoid g(-1) DW in the most affected transgenic line. In these tubers, the major carotenoids were violaxanthin, lutein, antheraxanthin, and beta-carotene. No increases in expression levels of the major carotenoid biosynthetic genes could be detected in the transgenic tubers, despite the large increase in carotenoid accumulation. Microarray analysis was used to identify a number of genes that were consistently up- or down-regulated in transgenic crtB tubers compared with empty vector controls. The implications of these data from a nutritional standpoint and for further modifications of tuber carotenoid content are discussed.