Abstract

Qi-Neng Lu, Qing Yang*

The purple anthocyanins in potato tuber skin and flesh are primarily derived from petunidin. cDNA clones encoding the enzymes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis, chalcone synthase (CHS), flavanone 3- hydroxylase (F3H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DRF), and UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-0-glucosyltransferase (3GT), were isolated from Solanum pinnatisectum by RT-PCR with degenerated primers. Sequence comparison showed that they share 76-96% identities with each corresponding solanaceous gene reported previously. Each gene is a member of a multigene family. The spatial expression analysis indicated that these genes were preferentially expressed in flowers, stolons and terminal buds, and their transcripts could not detected in roots except 3GT. All the genes were induced expression in tuber skins by white light, and followed by anthocyanin accumulation. This is the first report cloning and expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in wild potato (Solanum pinnatisectum).