Molecular cloning and analysis of four potato tuber mRNAs

• Published in: Plant molecular biology Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 255 - 269
• Main Authors: Stiekema, W.J. (Stichting ITAL, Wageningen (Netherlands)), Heidekamp, F, Dirkse, W.G, Beckum, J. van, Haan, P. de, Bosch, C. ten, Louwerse, J.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01-05-1988
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; ARN; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; CLONACION; CLONAGE; CLONING; Economic plant physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes. Genome; Genetic engineering; Genetic technics; Growth and development; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular cloning; Molecular genetics; Morphogenesis, differentiation, rhizogenesis, tuberization. Senescence; PROTEASAS; PROTEASE; PROTEASES; RNA; SOLANUM TUBEROSUM; TUBERCULE; TUBERCULO; TUBERS; Vegetals; Nucleotide sequence; Solanum tuberosum; Proteinase; Enzyme inhibitor; Tuberization; Proteins; Messenger RNA; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Solanaceae; Molecular cloning
• ISSN: 0167-4412; 1573-5028
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00027383

Tuberization in potato is a complex developmental process involving the expression of a specific set of genes leading to the synthesis of tuber proteins. We here report the cloning and analysis of mRNAs encoding tuber proteins. From a potato tuber cDNA library four different recombinants were isolated which hybridized predominantly with tuber mRNAs. Northern blot hybridization experiments showed that three of them, pPATB2, p303 and p340, can be regarded as tuber-specific while the fourth, p322, hybridizes to tuber and stem mRNA. Hybrid-selected in vitro translation and nucleotide sequence analysis indicate that pPATB2 and p303 represent patatin and the proteinase inhibitor II mRNA respectively. Recombinant p322 represents an mRNA encoding a polypeptide having homology with the soybean Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitor while p340 represents an mRNA encoding a polypeptide showing homology with the winged bean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor. In total, these four polypeptides constitute approximately 50% of the soluble tuber protein. Using Southern blot analysis of potato DNA we estimate that these mRNAs are encoded by small multigene families.