Tuber transcriptome profiling of eight potato cultivars with different cold-induced sweetening responses to cold storage

• Published in: Plant physiology and biochemistry Vol. 146; pp. 163 - 176
• Main Authors: Tai, Helen H., Lagüe, Martin, Thomson, Susan, Aurousseau, Frédérique, Neilson, Jonathan, Murphy, Agnes, Bizimungu, Benoit, Davidson, Charlotte, Deveaux, Virginie, Bègue, Yves, Wang, Hui Ying, Xiong, Xingyao, Jacobs, Jeanne M.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.01.2020
• Subjects: beta-Fructofuranosidase; Cold Temperature; Cold-induced sweetening resistance; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Plant Tubers; Potato tuber; Solanum tuberosum; Transcriptome sequencing; UDP; AAFC; RNA; Potato tuber; GO; QTL; Transcriptome sequencing; Gene expression; CIS; ADP; FPKM; UTP; DNA; Cold-induced sweetening resistance; PAL; ATP
• ISSN: 0981-9428; 1873-2690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.11.001

Tubers are vegetative reproduction organs formed from underground extensions of the plant stem. Potato tubers are harvested and stored for months. Storage under cold temperatures of 2–4 °C is advantageous for supressing sprouting and diseases. However, development of reducing sugars can occur with cold storage through a process called cold-induced sweetening (CIS). CIS is undesirable as it leads to darkened color with fry processing. The purpose of the current study was to find differences in biological responses in eight cultivars with variation in CIS resistance. Transcriptome sequencing was done on tubers before and after cold storage and three approaches were taken for gene expression analysis: 1. Gene expression correlated with end-point glucose after cold storage, 2. Gene expression correlated with increased glucose after cold storage (after-before), and 3. Differential gene expression before and after cold storage. Cultivars with high CIS resistance (low glucose after cold) were found to increase expression of an invertase inhibitor gene and genes involved in DNA replication and repair after cold storage. The cultivars with low CIS resistance (high glucose after cold) showed increased expression of genes involved in abiotic stress response, gene expression, protein turnover and the mitochondria. There was a small number of genes with similar expression patterns for all cultivars including genes involved in cell wall strengthening and phospholipases. It is proposed that the pattern of gene expression is related to chilling-induced DNA damage repair and cold acclimation and that genetic variation in these processes are related to CIS. •Cold storage induced changes in cell wall strengthening and lipid modification in tubers.•Cultivar variation in tuber dormancy was found along with cold-induced sweetening.•Resistance to cold-induced sweetening is associated with natural variation in expression of an acid invertase inhibitor gene.