Lipoxygenase POTLX-1 and POTLX-2 Genes are Expressed during Potato Tuber Initiation and Development Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Plant lipoxygenases (LOXs) (linoleate:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.13.11.12) catalyze the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linolenic and linoleic acids. Some of the final products of LOX-catalyzed reactions are traumatin, jasmonic acid (JA), methyl jasmonate (MJ), and C-6 volatile compounds, and they serve hormone-like regulatory and defense-related roles in plants. Recently, it has been proposed that LOXs play a role in potato tuberization processes because JA, MJ, and structurally similar tuberonic acid and tuberonic acid glycoside have been shown to be tuber-inducing substances. In order to study possible lipoxygenase involvement in potato tuberization, we have isolated, sequenced, and characterized the expression pattern of two cDNA clones, designated POTLX-1 and POTLX-2, that represent similar, but distinct, LOX genes. Within the scope of our experiments, northern hybridization studies with mRNA extracted from various organs of `Superior' potato plants indicated that the expression of these two genes is restricted to developing tubers and roots only. Moreover, there is a positive correlation between POTLX-1 and POTLX-2 mRNA accumulation and the stage of potato tuber development, and this implicates LOX in tuberization processes. Accumulation of their transcripts was not detected in leaves, flowers, stems, shoot tips, or axillary buds. These results indicate that the isozyme forms encoded by these two genes are tuber-specific, and they are good candidates to study LOX involvement in potato tuberization processes. Treatment of potato leaves with abscisic acid, MJ, gibberellic acid, auxin (NAA), and cytokinin (BA) did not trigger transcriptional activation of either of these genes.

published proceedings

  • HortScience

author list (cited authors)

  • Kolomiets, M. V., Hannapel, D. J., & Gladon, R. J.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • Kolomiets, Mikhailo V||Hannapel, David J||Gladon, Richard J

publication date

  • June 1997