Alelle diversity of tuberization regulator CDF1 in Andigana potatoes cultivated in Northwestern Argentina

FLORENCIA REY BURUSCO; MASSA GABRIELA ALEJANDRA; MARCELO MONTE; MARTIN CARBONI; SOFIA SUCAR; COLAVITA MONICA LILIANA; MARTIN CASTELLOTE; SALOME PRAT; FEINGOLD SERGIO ENRIQUE

Congreso; 11 th International plant molecular biology congress; 2015

Potato (Solanumtuberosum) is the third food crop of globalimportance for human consumption. Rich in starch and nutrients, tubers are the environmentallyregulated storage organs of potatoes and molecular events triggering formationof these organs are not yet completely understood. Andigena varieties are moredependant of short days for tuberization than those that belong to Tuberosumgroup. Photoperiod dependence of tuberization is linked to a regulatory genecalled stCDF1 (Cycling DOF Factor 1) and it has been postulated that naturalallelic variability allowed the cultivation at latitudes distant from thetropics. CDF1 belongs to the family of DOF transcription factors (DNA-bindingwith one finger) and regulates tuber formation and life cycle length of theplant, acting as an intermediary molecule in the signalling pathway between thecircadian clock (GIGANTEA), the blue light photoreceptors and the tuber mobilesignal, StSP6A, also known as tuberigen.CDF1 allele variants have been evaluated on acollection of 109 Andigena genotypes from Northwestern Argentina, 4 commercialvarieties and the reference sequenced genotype (DM). A single sequence repeat (SSR)present in an intronic region of the gene showed the presence of at least threedifferent alleles. A variable region at the 3´end of CDF1 transcript has alsobeen analyzed and is currently being sequenced.This work provides the first characterization of CDF1 genes performed onAndigena potatoes native of Argentina and can contribute to the comprehensionof the photoperiod dependence of tuberization and plant life cycle.