Acceleration of potato tuber sprouting by the expression of a bacterial pyrophosphatase

Nature Biotechnology v.19, n.3 Mar01

Eva M. Farré¹, Antje Bachmann¹, Lothar Willmitzer¹ & Richard N. Trethewey^{1, 2}
 
1. Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Golm, Germany.
2. Current address: Metanomics GmbH & Co KGaA, Tegeler Weg 33, D-10589 Berlin, Germany.
    Correspondence should be addressed to E M Farré. e-mail: farre@mpimp-golm.mpg.de

Potato is a globally important crop. Unfortunately, potato farming is plagued with problems associated with the sprouting behavior of seed tubers. The data presented here demonstrate that using transgenic technology can influence this behavior. Transgenic tubers cytosolically expressing an inorganic pyrophosphatase gene derived from Escherichia coli under the control of the tuber-specific patatin promoter display significantly accelerated sprouting. The period of presprouting dormancy for transgenic tubers planted immediately after harvest is reduced by six to seven weeks when compared to wild-type tubers. This study demonstrates a method with which to regulate dormancy, an important aspect of potato crop management.