Dynamics of a mobile RNA of potato involved in a long-distance signaling pathway.

BEL1-like transcription factors interact with Knotted1 types to regulate numerous developmental processes. In potato (Solanum tuberosum), the BEL1 transcription factor St BEL5 and its protein partner POTH1 regulate tuber formation by mediating hormone levels in the stolon tip. The accumulation of St BEL5 RNA increases in response to short-day photoperiods, inductive for tuber formation. RNA detection methods and heterografting experiments demonstrate that BEL5 transcripts are present in phloem cells and move across a graft union to localize in stolon tips, the site of tuber induction. This movement of RNA to stolon tips is correlated with enhanced tuber production. Overexpression of BEL5 transcripts that include the untranslated sequences of the BEL5 transcript endows transgenic lines with the capacity to overcome the inhibitory effects of long days on tuber formation. Addition of the untranslated regions leads to preferential accumulation of the BEL5 RNA in stolon tips under short-day conditions. Using a leaf-specific promoter, the movement of BEL5 RNA to stolon tips was facilitated by a short-day photoperiod, and this movement was correlated with enhanced tuber production. These results implicate the transcripts of St BEL5 in a long-distance signaling pathway that are delivered to the target organ via the phloem stream.

Potato MADS-box gene POTM1-1 transcripts are temporally and spatially distributed in floral organs and vegetative meristems.

The POTM1-1 gene is abundantly expressed in both vegetative and reproductive organs of potato. We performed in situ hybridization and RNA blotting analysis to investigate the patterns of POTM1-1 gene expression in the flower development and the early tuber development. In the early flowers, POTM1-1 transcripts were accumulated abundantly in the developing reproductive organs, including the placentae of carpels and the pollen sacs of stamens. In contrast, the pattern of POTM1-1 distribution during late flower development was different from that of the early flower development. The POTM1-1 transcripts were abundant in the sepals and petals of late flowers, but were minimally expressed in the stamens and carpel. In the shoot apical meristem of the vegetative organs, transcripts were distributed throughout meristem domes, young leaves, and developing vascular cambium. In the early tuberization, the transcripts were widely distributed in the swollen tips of the stolons. Taken together, the results suggest that POTM1-1 gene expression is temporally and spatially regulated in active growing tissues of both vegetative and floral organs with specific distribution patterns dependent upon the developmental stages of the tissue.

A leaf-specific 27 kDa protein of potato Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor is induced in response to abscisic acid, ethylene, methyl jasmonate, and water deficit.

The 22 kDa Kunitz-type potato proteinase inhibitor (22 kDa KPPI) was induced in tubers. However, the 27 kDa protein, which is immunologically related to the 22 kDa KPPI, was induced in leaves by wounding, hormones, and environmental stresses. The leaf-specific 27 kDa protein was induced in leaves that were treated with exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), ethephon, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and water deficit. These results indicate that the 27 kDa protein in leaves could function as a defense protein against mechanical damages by herbivorous animals and abiotic environmental stresses that could induce plant hormones.

Molecular cloning and characterization of cDNAs encoding heterotrimeric G protein alpha and beta subunits from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

Two cDNAs, STGA2 and STGB2, that encode heterotrimeric G protein alpha and beta subunit proteins, respectively, were cloned from an early tuber cDNA library of potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Superior). The cDNA of STGA2 encoded 384 amino acids, which showed 75-98% identities to plant Ga-subunits; STGB2 encoded 377 amino acids, which showed 83-92% identities to plant Gbeta-subunits. The transcript levels of the two genes were abundant in leaves, shoots, axially buds, unopened flowers, and active growing sprouts. However, the transcripts were barely detectable in roots. The expressions of STGA2 and STGB2 were up-regulated by light. Interestingly, the STGA2 and STGB2 gene expression showed synchronous patterns in the examined organs. During the early tuber development, the transcripts of STGA2 and STGB2 were abundant in unswollen stolons, swollen stolons, and new tubers, but were undetected in matured tubers. This indicates that potato Galpha- and beta-subunit genes are developmentally regulated. Based on these observations, we propose that heterotrimeric G proteins may be involved in the signaling pathway during potato tuber development.