Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Amylase Analysis in Potato Starch Degradation During Cold Storage and Sprouting

  • Published:
Potato Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As the fourth most important food crop, potato plays a key role in food safety and economic development of the world. Harvested potato tubers can be stored for a long time, but sprouting and cold-induced sweetening (CIS) can seriously affect the quality of tubers during storage. One of the key pathways involved in CIS is starch degradation, in which both α-amylase and β-amylase play important roles. However, each amylase belongs to an extensive gene family and it is not clear which genes are the key regulators. In this study, we identified genes most likely regulating starch degradation. We first selected candidate genes from the public potato genome database and then investigated their expression patterns associated with reducing sugars and amylase activities. The results showed that the activity of α-amylase was mainly caused by StAmy23 and the activity of β-amylase was mainly caused by StBAM1 and StBAM7. In addition, α-amylase and β-amylase may play important roles in starch degradation of the tubers stored at low temperature and during sprouting, and the amylase activity may be regulated by the amylase inhibitor in cold-stored tubers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bailey K, Phillips I, Pitt D (1978) The role of buds and gibberellin in dormancy and the mobilization of reserve materials in potato tubers. Ann Bot 42:649–657

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar PB, Wu L, Busse JS, Whitty BR, Hamernik AJ, Jansky SH, Buell CR, Bethke PC, Jiang J (2010) Suppression of the vacuolar invertase gene prevents cold-induced sweetening in potato. Plant Physiol 154:939–948

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Biemelt S, Hajirezaei M, Hentschel E, Sonnewald U (2000) Comparative analysis of abscisic acid content and starch degradation during storage of tubers harvested from different potato varieties. Potato Res 43:371–382

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brisson N, Giroux H, Zollinger M, Camirand A, Simard C (1989) Maturation and subcellular compartmentation of potato starch phosphorylase. Plant Cell 11:559–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen X (2012) Identification and profiling of the genes associated with cold-induced sweetening in Solanum berthaultii. Dissertation, Huazhong Agricultural University

  • Chen X, Song B, Liu J, Yang J, He T, Lin Y, Zhang H, Xie C (2012) Modulation of gene expression in cold-induced sweetening resistant potato species Solanum berthaultii exposed to low temperature. Mol Genet Genomics 287:411–421

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Claassen PA, Budde MA, Van Calker MH (1993) Increase in phosphorylase activity during cold-induced sugar accumulation in potato tubers. Potato Res 36:205–217

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cottrell J, Duffus C, Paterson L, Mackay G, Allison M, Bain H (1993) The effect of storage temperature on reducing sugar concentration and the activities of three amylolytic enzymes in tubers of the cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum L. Potato Res 36:107–117

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davies H, Viola R (1988) The effect of gibberellic acid on starch breakdown in sprouting tubers of Solanum tuberosum L. Ann Bot 61:689–693

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fulton DC, Stettler M, Mettler T, Vaughan CK, Li J, Francisco P, Gil M, Reinhold H, Eicke S, Messerli G, Dorken G, Halliday K, Smith AM, Smith SM, Zeeman SC (2008) β-AMYLASE4, a noncatalytic protein required for starch breakdown, acts upstream of three active β-amylases in Arabidopsis chloroplasts. Plant Cell 20:1040–1058

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann A, Senning M, Hedden P, Sonnewald U, Sonnewald S (2011) Reactivation of meristem activity and sprout growth in potato tubers require both cytokinin and gibberellin. Plant Physiol 155:776–796

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill LM, Reimholz R, SchrÖder R, Nielsen TH, Stitt M (1996) The onset of sucrose accumulation in cold-stored potato tubers is caused by an increased rate of sucrose synthesis and coincides with low levels of hexose-phosphates, an activation of sucrose phosphate synthase and the appearance of a new form of amylase. Plant Cell Environ 19:1223–1237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horvath DP, Anderson JV, Chao WS, Foley ME (2003) Knowing when to grow: signals regulating bud dormancy. Trends Plant Sci 8:534–540

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li W, Shao Y, Chen W (2005) Improved method for determining amylase activity. Plant Physiol Commun 41:655–656

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu X, Song B, Zhang H, Li X-Q, Xie C, Liu J (2010) Cloning and molecular characterization of putative invertase inhibitor genes and their possible contributions to cold-induced sweetening of potato tubers. Mol Genet Genomics 284:147–159

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lorberth R, Ritte G, Willmitzer L, Kossmann J (1998) Inhibition of a starch-granule-bound protein leads to modified starch and repression of cold sweetening. Nat Biotechnol l16:473–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malone JG, Mittova V, Ratcliffe RG, Kruger NJ (2006) The response of carbohydrate metabolism in potato tubers to low temperature. Plant Physiol 47:1309–1322

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrell S, Rees TA (1986) Control of the hexose content of potato tubers. Phytochemistry 25:1073–1076

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nicot N, Hausman JF, Hoffmann L, Evers D (2005) Housekeeping gene selection for real-time RT-PCR normalization in potato during biotic and abiotic stress. J Exp Bot 56:2907–2914

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ou Y, Song B, Liu X, Lin Y, Zhang H, Li M, Fang H, Liu J (2013) Profiling of StvacINV1 expression in relation to acid invertase activity and sugar accumulation in potato cold-stored tubers. Potato Res 56:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Preiss J (1982) Regulation of the biosynthesis and degradation of starch. Ann Rev Plant Physiol 33:431–454

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rentzsch S, Podzimska D, Voegele A, Imbeck M, Müller K, Linkies A, Leubner-Metzger G (2012) Dose-and tissue-specific interaction of monoterpenes with the gibberellin-mediated release of potato tuber bud dormancy, sprout growth and induction of α-amylases and β-amylases. Planta 235:137–151

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rohde A, Ruttink T, Hostyn V, Sterck L, Van Driessche K, Boerjan W (2007) Gene expression during the induction, maintenance, and release of dormancy in apical buds of poplar. J Exp Bot 58:4047–4060

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheidig A, Fröhlich A, Schulze S, Lloyd JR, Kossmann J (2002) Downregulation of a chloroplast-targeted β-amylase leads to a starch-excess phenotype in leaves. Plant J 30:581–591

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd LVT, Bradshaw JE, Dale MFB, McNicol JW, Pont SDA, Mottram DS, Davies HV (2010) Variation in acrylamide producing potential in potato: segregation of the trait in a breeding population. Food Chem 123:568–573

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Solomos T, Mattoo AK (2005) Starch-sugar metabolism in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers in response to temperature variations. In: Razdan MK and Mattoo AK (ed) Genetic Improvement of Solanaceous Crops, 1st edn. Plymouth: 209–234

  • Suttle JC (1995) Postharvest changes in endogenous ABA levels and ABA metabolism in relation to dormancy in potato tubers. Physiol Plant 95:233–240

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Suttle JC (2004) Involvement of endogenous gibberellins in potato tuber dormancy and early sprout growth: a critical assessment. J Plant Physiol 161:157–164

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Talburt WF, Schwimmer S, Burr HK (1975) Structure and chemical composition of the potato tuber. In: Talburt WF and Smith O (eds) Potato processing, 2nd edn. AVI publishing, Westport, Connecticut, pp 11–46.

  • Tompson JD, Gibson TJ, Plewniak F, Jeanmougin F, Higgins DG (1997) The Clustal X windows interface: flexible strategies for multiple sequence alignment aided by quality analysis tools. Nucleic Acids Res 25:4876–4882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valerio C, Costa A, Marri L, Issakidis-Bourguet E, Pupillo P, Trost P, Sparla F (2011) Thioredoxin-regulated beta-amylase (BAM1) triggers diurnal starch degradation in guard cells, and in mesophyll cells under osmotic stress. J Exp Bot 62:545–555

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Liu X, Liu J, Ou Y, Lin Y, Li M, Song B, Xie C (2013) A novel RING finger gene, SbRFP1, increases resistance to cold-induced sweetening of potato tubers. FEBS Lett 587:749–755

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Dr. Uwe Sonnewald and Dr. Jingcai Li for useful discussion and Stephen Reid and Dr. Juan Du for language editing. This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation of China (31171602) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2009AA10Z103).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HAU), Ministry of Education; National Centre for Vegetable Improvement (Central China), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China

    Huiling Zhang, Juan Hou, Jun Liu, Conghua Xie & Botao Song

  2. College of Forestry, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, People’s Republic of China

    Huiling Zhang

  3. College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China

    Botao Song

Authors
  1. Huiling Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Juan Hou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jun Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Conghua Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Botao Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Botao Song.

Additional information

Huiling Zhang and Juan Hou contributed equally to this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, H., Hou, J., Liu, J. et al. Amylase Analysis in Potato Starch Degradation During Cold Storage and Sprouting. Potato Res. 57, 47–58 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-014-9252-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-014-9252-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation