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Repression of both isoforms of disproportionating enzyme leads to higher malto-oligosaccharide content and reduced growth in potato

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Abstract

Two glucanotransferases, disproportionating enzyme 1 (StDPE1) and disproportionating enzyme 2 (StDPE2), were repressed using RNA interference technology in potato, leading to plants repressed in either isoform individually, or both simultaneously. This is the first detailed report of their combined repression. Plants lacking StDPE1 accumulated slightly more starch in their leaves than control plants and high levels of maltotriose, while those lacking StDPE2 contained maltose and large amounts of starch. Plants repressed in both isoforms accumulated similar amounts of starch to those lacking StDPE2. In addition, they contained a range of malto-oligosaccharides from maltose to maltoheptaose. Plants repressed in both isoforms had chlorotic leaves and did not grow as well as either the controls or lines where only one of the isoforms was repressed. Examination of photosynthetic parameters suggested that this was most likely due to a decrease in carbon assimilation. The subcellular localisation of StDPE2 was re-addressed in parallel with DPE2 from Arabidopsis thaliana by transient expression of yellow fluorescent protein fusions in tobacco. No translocation to the chloroplasts was observed for any of the fusion proteins, supporting a cytosolic role of the StDPE2 enzyme in leaf starch metabolism, as has been observed for Arabidopsis DPE2. It is concluded that StDPE1 and StDPE2 have individual essential roles in starch metabolism in potato and consequently repression of these disables regulation of leaf malto-oligosaccharides, starch content and photosynthetic activity and thereby plant growth possibly by a negative feedback mechanism.

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Abbreviations

At:

Arabidopsis thaliana

CBM20:

Carbohydrate binding module 20

CLSM:

Confocal laser scanning microscopy

DPE:

Disproportionating enzyme

ISA3:

Isoamylase 3

LDA:

Limit dextrinase

MEX1:

Maltose excess 1

MOS:

Malto-oligosaccharides

St:

Solanum tuberosum

PSI:

Photosystem I

PSII:

Photosystem II

YFP:

Yellow fluorescent protein

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Acknowledgments

We thank Lis B. Møller, Per Lassen Nielsen and Camilla Falk for technical assistance as well as Claus Frohberg (Bayer Crop Science) for arranging the potato transformations. Poul Erik Jensen is acknowledged for fruitful discussions. This project was supported by The Danish National Research Foundation, The Danish Biotechnology Program and a stipend from the Danish Research School for Biotechnology (H.L.).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. VKR Research Centre Pro-Active Plants, Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Henrik Lütken, Mikkel A. Glaring, Lone Baunsgaard, Anna Haldrup & Andreas Blennow

  2. Plant Research Department, Risø National Laboratory, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Henrik Lütken, James R. Lloyd & Jens Kossmann

  3. Crop Sciences, Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegård Alle 9, 2630, Taastrup, Denmark

    Henrik Lütken

  4. Institute of Plant Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, 7602, Matieland, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    James R. Lloyd & Jens Kossmann

  5. Plant and Soil Science, Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Kristian Holst Laursen

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  1. Henrik Lütken
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  2. James R. Lloyd
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  3. Mikkel A. Glaring
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  8. Andreas Blennow
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Correspondence to Henrik Lütken.

Additional information

H. Lütken and J. R. Lloyd contributed equally to the work.

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Lütken, H., Lloyd, J.R., Glaring, M.A. et al. Repression of both isoforms of disproportionating enzyme leads to higher malto-oligosaccharide content and reduced growth in potato. Planta 232, 1127–1139 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-010-1245-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-010-1245-3

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